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THE DIALECT 



OF 



SOUTH LANCASHIRE, 



OR 

Km JSofctrm's SCummug atft Jlearg; 

WITH 

HIS RHYMES 

AND AN ENLARGED 

GLOSSARY OF WORDS AND PHRASES, 

CHIEFLY USED BY 

THE RURAL POPULATION OP THE MANUFACTURING DISTRICTS OF 
SOUTH LANCASHIRE. \J^ 



It 

BY SAMUEL BAMFORD. 



^econti lEtritton. 




LONDON: 
JOHN ETJSSELL SMITH, 36, SOHO SQTTAEE. 

MDCCCLIY. 









l 



- 



LONDON : 
E. TUCKER, PRINTER, PERRY'S PLACE, OXPORD STREET. 



L 



INTRODUCTION. 



The great changes which have taken place in the 
nature of employment in the manufacturing districts 
of South Lancashire, since the publication of Collier's 
■View of the Lancashire Dialect/ have not only 
caused the old appearances of the country to pass 
away, but they have altered nearly everything apper- 
taining to, or resulting from, the life and condition 
of man. At the time when Tim Bobbin was spending 
his jovial and facetious days at Milnrow, such a thing 
as a cotton or woollen factory was not in existence. 
The collier then brought his coal to day -light at the 
mouth of a tunnel, or what was called " a breast hee," 
generally opening out, not unlike a large black sough, 
on some hill-side. If the road was accessible by a 
cart, and one came to be filled, it was filled, the 
money paid, and the carter got his tit and his load 
down the hill as best he might ; or if half-a-dozen 
ponies, or, as they were termed, ' l galloways " came 
with their panniers to be loaded, they were supplied 
if there were coal enough got, and if otherwise, they 
would probably have to wait at the place, or went 
browzing on the moors, until ;the coal was brought 
out ; or if the mine were worked by means of a shaft, 
a windlass and a couple of buckets would generally be 



IV INTRODUCTION. 

deemed sufficient machinery ; and an important con- 
cern it must have been indeed, where a horse and a 
gin- wheel were put in motion. Farms were mostly 
cultivated for the production of milk, butter, and 
cheese ; oats also, for the family' s consumption of 
meal, in the form of porridge and oaten cake, would 
be looked after, and a small patch of potatoes, when 
they had come into general use, would probably be 
found on some favourable bank attached to each farm. 
The farming was generally of that kind which was 
soonest and most easily performed, and it was done 
by the husband and other males of the family, whilst 
the wife and daughters, and maid servants, if there 
were any of the latter, attended to the churning, 
cheese-making, and household work, and when that 
was finished, they busied themselves in carding, 
slubbing, and spinning of wool, or cotton, as well as in 
forming it into warps for the loom. The husband and 
sons would next, at times when farm labour did not 
call them abroad, size the warp, dry it, and beam 
it in the loom ; and either they, or the females, 
whichever happened to be least otherwise employed, 
would weave the warp down. A farmer would gene- 
rally have three or four looms in his house, and thus 
what with the farming, easily and leisurely though it 
was performed, what with the house work, and what 
with the carding, spinning, and weaving, there was 
ample employment for the family. If the rent was 
raised from the farm, so much the better ; if not, the 
deficiency was made up from the manufacturing profits; 



INTRODUCTION. V 

and as the weaver, or " makker," as he was called, 
was also the vendor, he had a pretty fair command 
of his own remuneration. Both farmers and cot- 
tagers, in the neighbourhoods of Rochdale and Bury, 
were at that time employed in the flannel manu- 
facture. Many of these would be both makers of 
cloth and sellers, and they would have ample conve- 
niences for the manufacture on their own premises. 
It was about this period that the large and roomy 
stone buildings which are so frequently met with in 
the neighbourhood of Rochdale were erected. The 
flannel loom requires a good breadth to work in, and 
half a dozen such looms would occupy a large cham- 
ber over a whole house. Strangers, on entering one 
of these dwellings, are often puzzled to know why the 
house part has such an ample extent of floor, but their 
wonder ceases when they are informed that these 
rooms were the working places of women employed 
in the carding, slubbing, and spinning of wool ; that 
the spinning was done upon one spindle (whence the 
name of the latter), that the spinner stood beside a 
large wheel to which, with one hand she gave motion, 
whilst, stepping back to the extent of her reach, she 
drew out the slubbing, and having given it the neces- 
sary twist, wound it on the spindle, and so continued 
until she had spun cops enough to make a warp. In 
such an operation, these wide floors were necessary, 
the spinner being often the tallest and the longest 
armed woman of the family. In those days there 
were some noble forms in the country, though Tim 

a § 



VI INTRODUCTION. 

Bobbin did not immortalize one of them ; a few may- 
yet be seen: and as the spinner alternately drew out, 
spun, and wonnd up her thread, humming some 
indistinct words the while, she might not unaptly 
have been likened to one of those fate-dispensing 
beings who are said to 

" Spin the web, and weave the woof, 
The winding sheet of Adam's race." 

The working dress of these our great grand-mothers 
would, to a town resident of the present day, seem as 
singular as their persons would be remarkable, and 
their occupation homely. Their outer dress almost 
invariably consisted of a blue flannel bed-gown, which 
left the arm bare below the elbow ; a petticoat of the 
same material and colour, and an apron to match, 
except that sometimes the apron would be of blue 
linen instead of flannel. The young women, there 
not being any combs in use then as articles of attire, 
wore their hair long behind, and parted on the fore- 
head. The married females wore, on their heads, 
mob-caps, of a thorough cleanly whiteness, whilst their 
hose, as well as those of the younger females, were 
generally of white or black woollen yarn, of their 
own knitting ; and their shoes were strong, well 
fastened with straps and buckles, or leathern thongs, 
and of a weight which would foot-lock a modern 
dandy. Their appearance on Sundays or other holi- 
days was more varied than when in their working-day 
attire ; in addition, on such occasions, to a clean cap, 
they would generally wear a smart bed-gown of white 






INTRODUCTION. Vli 



or blue cotton, prints not being then in general use. 
A pair of lighter shoes, raised at the heels, would be 
don'd; and if they went a short distance from home, 
they would put on a silk handkerchief, generally of 
a brown chocolate colour, with spots, which they 
threw over their caps, and tied under the chin. If 
their visit was to church or chapel on a Sunday (and 
there were not then so many of the latter as at 
present), they would make themselves very smart in 
their stuff-gown, or a garment much similar, but 
known as "a rocket," would probably satisfy the 
vanity of one of the younger class ; instead of bon- 
nets they wore a low-crowned, broad-brimmed gipsey- 
hat of felt, or chip covered with silk. If it were 
during winter, or in broken cold weather, the great 
oaken kist would have to yield up its most substantial 
article of attire; and an ample crimson or scarlet 
cloak, of finest wool, double milled, and of an intense 
dye that threw a glimmer wherever it moved, was put 
on, the hood being thrown over the head, cap, hand- 
kerchief and all, and drawn closely and comfortably 
round the face, or left open as the wearer chose. The 
working dress of the men was a low-crowned hat, 
with broad brims, a blue or drab short coat, or rather 
jacket, of coarse woollen, or fustian; a waistcoat 
without neck collar, and with long flapping pockets ; 
a pair of breeches, buttoned at the knees, and 
generally of strong fustian, or sheep- skin leather ; 
brown or blue hose, home knitted, and of strong 
home-made yarn, and very strong shoes, nailed with 



Vlll INTRODUCTION. 

clinkers, and fastened by straps and buckles. In 
the flannel districts, the men also generally wore a 
striped flannel apron, which when at the loom, hung 
down, and when in the fields, or on a journey, would 
be wrapped round the waist. The jacket, waistcoat, 
and breeches of the men, from their having to use 
much oil in their manufacturing labour, were greasy 
always, and often glossy with grease, and the women's 
outer garments would have partaken of the like unc- 
tuous gloss and odour, had they not been frequently 
scoured by that old-fashioned, though most throughly 
cleansing washing liquid, which is produced by human 
distillation. On the premises of every family might 
be found a tub, or a mug of a size sufficiently capa- 
cious to hold the whole product of this pungent liquid, 
and as a most precious cleanser, it was carefully col- 
lected and consigned to its appointed vessel, thence to 
be taken as wanted for use. A clothes washing, in 
those days, was never considered to be " greadly dun" 
unless all the woollen things had been thoroughly 
scoured by the great purifier, and afterwards washed 
and wrung "out of clean hot water. Both men and 
women, girls and boys, made use of it to wash their 
persons, after which they applied water ; and when 
the operation was finished by a good rubbing with a 
coarse towel, they came forth radiant with health and 
exuberant life. Their working hours, whether at the 
loom or on the farm, were, as compared with those of 
modern operatives and labourers, spent in leisure. 
There was often great irregularity in their observance 



INTRODUCTION. IX 

of working hours, and their duration varied much, 
according to the wants, or habits, of individual 
workers, or of families. Tea was scarcely known in 
those days. The epitaph on Tim Bobbin, 

"John wants no punch, 
And Moll no tea," 

was not then written, but, unworthy as it is, was a 
subsequent composition of his son Thomas. The 
almost universal breakfast of the working classes, and 
indeed of the middle also, consisted of oatmeal por- 
ridge, and milk, with an oaten " butter-cake," or a 
piece of cheese and oat-cake, to make up. Dinners 
generally consisted of dumplings, boiled meat, broth, 
and oaten bread. Potato pies were not uncommon ; 
but then, besides a substantial crust, they were sea- 
soned with a scantless mixture of beef or mutton. 

" Aye," a young woman was heard once to say at 
Milnrow, when taking such a pie to the oven, " an it 
is a pottito pie indeed, for its nobbo three peawnd an 
a hawve o' muttn in it." After dinner came an hour 
and a half or two hours' play, or lounging ; and in 
the afternoon, oat- cake and cheese, or butter, or oat- 
cake and butter-milk, sufficed for " bagging ; " sup- 
pers were the same as breakfasts, and then play was 
allowed till bed -time. 

It may be remarked here, that in particular loca- 
lities were the cotton manufacture had become preva- 
lent, the outer garments of the women were of strong 
cotton, of a small stripe, called " weftin in ; " in other 
respects their attire was the same as that of families 
in the flannel districts. 



X INTRODUCTION. 

But soon a change was destined to come over this 
scene of homely labour and plenteous living. In 1769, 
a patent was taken out for a machine to spin cotton 
by rollers ;"* in 1770 the spinning-jenny was patented; 
in 1785 appeared improved carding, drawing, and 
roving frames ; after which came the willow, the 
scutching- machine, and the lapping-frame. In 1779 
the mule-jenny was invented, and in 1785 Watt had 
completed his steam-engine. Then came a wonderful 
facility of production, and a proportionate decrease of 
the cost, whence followed an increase of demand, an 
increase of employment, an increase of population, a 
crowding towards the great hive, of many people of 
all industrial classes, and from all parts of the king- 
dom and the world. Next, as a consequence, followed 
the breaking up of old associations and the formation 
of new ones; the abandonment of old habits; the 
giving up of old customs ; new modes of dress became 
common ; new modes of living were adopted ; new 
subjects for thinking were started; new words for the 
expression of thought were introduced, and from that 
time the old dialect, with the old customs of the 
country and the old fashions, has been gradually 
receding towards oblivion. 

If it were possible that we could live for the 
present and the future only, these things might be 
allowed to pass from human knowledge without 
regret, but we cannot so live. Our present and 

* In 1738, John Kay, of Bury, by his invention of the fly shuttle, 
was the first to break up the old mode of weaving by hand-throwing. 



INTRODUCTION. XI 

future course must be a continuation of the past, a 
bettering of it, a derivation from it, an improvement, 
but not an abandonment ; we do not cut off the root 
of a plant that it may grow. Even if there were not 
such a thing as this natural adherence to what has 
been, there is in the human constitution an irrepres- 
sible tendency to refer to the past, in order the better 
to shape our future course, to 

" Cast one longing, lingering, look behind ;" 

that, seeing the way we have come, we may be the 
better enabled to pursue that which is before us. 

There is also a pleasure in the contemplation, the 
remembrance, as it were, through history, of old 
people who have left the place we live in, who have 
quitted the ground we occupy, who have just, as it 
were, gone out and shut the door of the house after 
them, before we got in. We wish to recal them ; we 
would they had stayed a little longer ; that they had 
been there when we arrived. We go to the door 
and look for them ; up the street, down the lane, over 
the meadow, by the wood ; but the old folks are not 
to be seen high or low, far or near ; and we return to 
our room disappointed. We picture to ourselves the 
pleasant time we should have had were they beside 
us ; how we should have seen the cut of their apparel, 
their broad hats, and quaint lappels, their " buckles 
and shoon f' and heard their old tales and stories, and 
caught the tones of their voice, and the accent of 
their uncouth words. But it cannot be; they are 
gone, and there is no return : we have not seen them, 



Xll INTRODUCTION. 

we never shall see them ; and again we are saddened 
and disappointed. A book, however, in the midst of 
onr regret, attracts onr notice $ we open it, and therein 
we find, not only the portraiture of those we have 
been regretting, but their old stories, their uncouth 
words, and almost the tones of their voice are therein 
preserved for us. We sit down happy in the prize, 
and enjoy the mental pleasure which it provides. 

Such a book would I place on the shelf of the old 
house ere I depart. It may be useful to some, and 
may perhaps afford amusement to others who tread 
these floors, and walk these green fields and brown 
moors of South Lancashire in after days. To me it 
seems that this district is destined to become the 
scene of important events. The persuasion haunts 
me, that these men, these Saxon Danes, and Saxon 
Celts of Cambria and Caledon, with their thoughtful 
foreheads, reserved speech, knotted shoulders, and 
iron fists ; that these men, whose lives are familiar 
with the eyeless, earless, pulseless Cyclops of steam; 
who ride on steam-horses, and wield steam-hammers, 
compared to which the hammer of Thor was but a 
child's toy; that these men, who, from morn to night, 
attend the beck, the knock, and the slightest motion 
of the great powers of water and fire; that these 
men, who, assisted by their demons, spin threads, 
weave cloths, hew coal, cut stone, weld iron, and saw 
wood ; who level hills, fill up vallies, turn back rivers, 
melt rocks, and rend the earth to her womb ; that 
these men will never disappear from the scene, until 



INTRODUCTION. X1U 

they have performed such deeds, and raised such 
mind-marks for the bettering of the condition of 
their race, as shall point them out to future genera- 
tions. 

Already there is a streak in the horizon of this 
dark north. Poetry, history, and the arts are begin- 
ning to embellish science, whilst science is leading on 
from wonder to wonder. History speaks of deeds, 
and the people by whom they were performed ; Poetry 
looks for words, and the images which they portray; 
the historian, the poet, and the painter may be bene- 
fited by a perusal of this book. The historian will 
find the language of the personages, whose actions he 
narrates; the poet will find their speech and the 
romance of their life ; and the painter will discover a 
grouping, and a series of individual characters, neither 
of which have ever been described on canvass. 

Several writers have endeavoured, both in prose 
and rhyme, to express themselves in the Lancashire 
dialect, but, with one or two exceptions, they have 
not succeeded. The fact is, that until the present 
edition, there has not been any true glossary to write 
the dialect by, that of Tim Bobbin, if truth may be 
stated, being itself far from correct. I may be blamed 
by some, for being thus candid, but the fact had often 
been forced on my attention, both from my own 
observation and that of others. John Collier, we 
must recollect, was born at Urmston, on the borders 
of Cheshire. The river Mersey was, in the time of 
the Saxon Heptarchy, the boundary line betwixt the 

b 



XIV INTRODUCTION. 

two chief kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria; 
and the main battle ground betwixt those two powers 
would probably lie betwixt the rivers Dee, Weaver, 
and Bollin on one side, and the Wyre, the Bibble, 
and Irwell on the other, the Mersey being the divid- 
ing line. However that may be, it is well known to 
any one who has paid attention to the subject, that 
the Mersey is yet a dividing line betwixt two dialects. 
On the Cheshire or Mercian side of the river, we 
find the words, seeink, tawkink, thinkink, speakink ; 
on the Lancashire, or Northumbrian side, they are 
seein, tawkin, thinkin, speakin, or, in some districts, 
spyekin, Tim Bobbin, however, in his " Tummus 
an Meary," gives the Cheshire pronunciation. He 
also gives the Cheshire word veeol for veal, instead of 
the Lancashire vyel ; * deeal, instead of dyel ; heeod, 
instead of yed. Eor a short distance on each side of 
the river the dialects are somewhat mingled, whilst 
further inland they become distinct ; in some places, 
near the river, one prevails, and at other places the 
other is mostly spoken. Urmston is nearly upon this 
frontier line, and hence probably Collier got his Che- 
shire pronunciation. He has also the Cheshire words 
cheeons, instead of the Lancashire chens ; cheeop, 
for chep ; cleeon, for clyen ; cleeoning for clyenin, — 
the g at the end of words being seldom used in South 
Lancashire. He has creeas, instead of cryes, measles; 

* Spoken, as one syllable, vyel, dyel, dyeth, bryeth ; the accent on 
yel, yeth, &c. The Cheshire pronunciation has two distinct syllables, 
the accent in these words being the first. 



INTRODUCTION. XV 

deeod, for dyed ; deeol, for dyel ; deeoth, for dyeth ; 
dooal, for dole ; dreeomt, for dryemt ; feear, for fear ; 
leeof, for lyev; lucko, another Cheshire word, for 
lothe, look thou; reeak, for reek, shriek; reeam, for 
ryem, cream. These instances might be multiplied, 
but they are sufficient to show that " Tim Bobbin's" 
view of the " Lancashire Dialect " was not confined 
to that spoken in South Lancashire. It is also an 
unsafe guide in other respects besides its affinity to 
the Cheshire pronunciation; we have afterings, instead 
of afterins; gawstring, for gawstrin; hottering, for 
hotterin ; inkling, for inklin ; crackling, for cracklin; 
brimming, for brimmin ; deeing, for deein ; reaving, 
for ravin ; riding, for ridin ; and other instances where 
the g should not appear at all. Then there is ele for 
ale and ail ; finst, for finest, best ; fresh, for fresh, 
florid ; greave, for grave ; grease, for fat ; groats, for 
groats; harbor, for harbour; Harrys for Henrys; 
heasty, for hasty ; htis, for us ; I'll, for I will ; im, 
for him ; jawnt, for jaunt ; keke, for cake ; kin for kin; 
kindly, for healthy, hardy ; limp, for halt ; marvil, for 
marvel ; mattock, for mattock ; mawkish, for mawk- 
ish ; maw, for stomach ; neamt, for named ; breans, 
for brains ; breve, for brave ; capable, for able ; dey, 
for day; phippenny, for five penny; reant, for rained; 
rearest, for rarest ; reaving, for ravin ; riddle, for 
riddle, a sieve; and many other words which are 
either current English, or present a difference in the 
spelling only, without a difference in sound. None of 
these, nor many others of the same character, will, I 
trust, be found in the present glossary. 



XVI INTRODUCTION. 

A number of words which appear in Tim Bobbin's 
Glossary, have also been rejected in consequence of 
doubts as to their ever having been in general use in 
this eastern part of South Lancashire; amongst these 
are buck, or buk, book; camp, to talk; campo, to 
prate; caper-cousins, great friends; cawfe-tail, a 
-dunce ; charger, platters, dishes ; chark, a crack ; 
chez, choose ; clatch, a brood of chickens ; dawntle, to 
fondle ; deawmp, dumb ; deeave, to stun with noise ; 
deeavely, lonely ; dawd, dead, flat, spiritless ; dubler, 
a large dish ; eendless-annat, the straight gut ; far, 
for ; far-geh, forgive ; fleak, to bask in the sun; glur, 
the softest of fat; gry, an ague fit; hight-nor-ree, 
nothing at all of; im, him; infarm, inform; jim, or 
gim, spruce, neat ; kele, time, place, circumstance ; 
keyke, or kyke, to stand crooked ; knattle, cross, ill 
humoured ; lamm, to beat ; lod, a lad ; musn, to think 
or wonder ; min, to remind ; mitch-go-deet o', much 
good may it do you; mourning, morning; nawstler, 
ostler ; neeom, an uncle ; neeam, an aunt ; on-o-wey, 
always ; on-ye-been, if you be ; pee, to squint ; peigh, 
to cough; penny-whip, very small beer; protty, pretty; 
reason, to whisper ; sam, to gather together ; seeln, 
seldom; skew-wift, awry; swat, to swoon; teathy, 
peevish, cross ; thrimmo, to thrimble ; tin, till ; wark- 
brattle, loving to work ; whawm, to warm ; wheint, or 
wheant, strange, comical ; wheign, a slut : whoo-o- 
whoo-o-whoo, an interjection of surprise. A number 
of objectionable terms have also been left out of the 
Glossary, and excluded from other parts of the book. 

Of Tim Bobbin s work, I have always, since I 






INTRODUCTION. XV11 

thought of the matter at all, been of opinion that it is 
a very imperfect setting forth of the Lancashire Dia- 
lect, or of any dialect which was ever spoken in any 
one district of that county. Mr. Townley of Belfield 
who was Tim Bobbin's great patron, and very good 
friend, writing to the editor of Aikin's History of 
Manchester says, " Collier had been for many years col- 
lecting, not only from the rustics of his own neigh- 
bourhood, but also wherever he made excursions, all 
the awkward, vulgar, obsolete words and local expres- 
sions which ever occurred to him in conversation 
amongst the lower classes. A very retentive memory 
brought them safe back for insertion into his vocabu- 
lary or glossary, and from thence he formed and 
executed the plan of his Lancashire dialect, which he 
exhibited to public cognizance in the adventures of 
a Lancashire clown, formed from some rustic sports 
and gambols, and also some whimsical modes of 
circulating fun at the expense of silly credulous 
boobies amongst the then cheery gentlemen of that 
peculiar neighbourhood." * This, I should suppose, 
will be taken as quite sufficient authority, as to the 
mode in which Collier's " View of the Lancashire 
Dialect" was got up and put forth. My Glossary was 
collected with a far different object, namely — the 
production of a true and consistent illustration of the 
dialect of this eastern part of South Lancashire, such 
as it was spoken at the time Collier was living, and has 
been ever since. By this eastern part, I mean the 

* He frequently took excursions to considerable distances, for the 
sale of his pictures. See "Memoir of John Collier" in Aikin's History 
of Manchester. 



XV111 INTRODUCTION. 

country extending from Blakeley to Littleborough 
easterly ; and' from Bury, or Bolton, to Oldham, south 
easterly, including those places and their vicinities. 
Manchester could not be included, inasmuch as its 
inhabitants having always been a more mixed people, 
have never spoken in the dialect of the country folks 
around them. 

I have adopted Collier's dialogue betwixt " Tummus 
and Meary," and his Glossary, as the framework^ 
whereon to exhibit my amendment, deeming it not 
only right, but most expedient also, that, as that 
production had been accepted during many years as 
the true and only exposition of our mode of speech, it 
should also be made the vehicle for exhibiting the 
errors which it had so long been the means for 
propagating, and of substituting a real, and conse- 
quently, an improved version of our dialect in its 
stead. I judged that in the execution of this design, 
I could not have a safer guide than the dialect as I 
found it in common use. I have endeavoured to 
adhere to this ; to write it as it is yet spoken in its 
rural retreats. I have however, adopted some of 
Collier's terms, of the genuineness of which I am not 
quite certified, deeming it better to err rather in that 
direction than in the too restricted one. Future 
consideration may enable me to determine this ; and 
meanwhile, if this exposition of the Lancashire Dia- 
lect cannot be accepted as a faultless one, I have 
strong hopes that it may be received as the best that 
has yet appeared. SAMUEL BAMFORD. 

May 21st, 1854. 



XIX 



MEMOIR OF JOHN COLLIER, 



John Collier, who afterwards became known as Tim 
Bobbin, was born at Urmston, in the township of Flixton, in 
1708. His father, whose name was also John, was a curate 
and kept a school, from the profits of which, together with 
the income of his curacy, he w T as enabled to maintain hie wife 
and several children in decency. Young Collier was intended 
for the church, but his father, when in the forty-sixth year of 
his age, becoming afflicted by the loss of sight, all idea, as it 
would seem, of his son's keeping up in the world was 
abandoned, and, in the fourteenth year of his age, he was put 
apprentice to a Dutch-loom weaver at Mottram, in Cheshire. 
Collier, however, hated mindless labour, and became an 
itinerating school-master, until he got a regular engagement 
as assistant to Mr. Pearson, who kept a school at Milnrow, 
near Rochdale. In a few years the situation of master 
became vacant by the death of Mr. Pearson, and Collier was 
chosen by Mr. Townley, of Belfield Hall, to fill up the vacancy. 
Being now in the receipt of full twenty pounds a year, he 
was looked upon as a person of some importance in the 
village ; and having leisure to follow the bent of his genius, 
he began to practise drawing and music, and became such a 
proficient as to be able to give lessons to others. He also 
tried his hand at poetry, of a rude strain certainly, and 
produced various satires on eccentric characters in the neigh- 
bourhood, which got him more admirers than friends. " The 
Blackbird," which is a satire on one of the Lancashire 
Justices, was written in 1740. It is one of his best pieces, 
but its pretensions to be classed as poetry are not very pro- 
minent. He may be truly termed a witty and satirical 
versifier, an indifferent poet, and a not very exact rhymster. 

" His beaver cock'd, plain-dealing-wise he pulPd 
So low, his forehead in it seem'd involved." 

Vide The Blackbird. 



XX MEMOIR. 

" And thinks with justice in this dire contest 
Each cur should run with fawning tail the first." 

II 

" He heing gone, the knight must see the glass, 
To fix some upright airs in oblong face." 

Ibid- 

In painting he was more successful, but his taste in this 
branch of art was vitiated by an excessive indulgence in a 
kind of cranky oddity, a straining after effect, to a degree 
which produced distortion, most singularly conceived certainly, 
and quite as truly expressed. His genius seemed to be 
imbued Avith this kind of wit ; his imagination to be ever 
wandering in search of deformed conceits. His mind, 
undoubtedly, though of an uncommon vigour, was of a strange 
cast ; and there is room for supposing that its very strong- 
impressions gave a turn to the mental aberrations of more 
than one of his descendants. His pictures were unlike any 
which had ever been seen in Lancashire, if not in England, 
before ; they consequently met with a ready sale ; his fame 
spread, his pecuniary means became ample for his wants, and 
he resigned himself to the enjoyment of a present good and 
promising future. 

Before this time, however, namely in 1744, he had become 
smitten by, and had married, Mary Clay, of Plockton, in the 
parish of Thornhill, and West Riding of Yorkshire. With 
her he received a considerable fortune, for those days, which 
however did not last long, and seems to have rendered him 
but little service. He now began to paint altar pieces for 
country churches and chapels ; occasionally he painted signs 
for public houses ; and afterwards he struck into the style of 
broad humour, which procured him both so much celebrity 
and remuneration. It was during a pause in this career 
that he seems to have written his famed literary production 
" A View of the Lancashire Dialect," many editions of which 
were quickly disposed of. It took amazingly ; like his 
pictures, it was the first thing of the kind that had ever 
appeared in these parts ; like them also, though marked by 



, 



MEMOIR. XXI 

uncommon talent, it was so profuse of imagination that it 
did not convey a truthful representation of its subject, but 
left that subordinate to the irrepressible oddity of its author. 
The beauties of nature, and the true poetry of the hills, dales, 
woods, and streams around him, appear to have had but few 
attractions for Collier, who seems to have revelled in forms 
and phantasies of things as they were not. His Lancashire 
Dialect was not the spoken dialect of any one district of the 
county ; and his friend Mr. Townley, of Beiiield, in writing 
to a gentleman at Manchester, describes him as taking note 
of every quaint, odd, out of the way term or phrase, which he 
heard during his perambulations in different parts of the 
country, and incorporating them in his " Yiew of the Lanca- 
shire Dialect." At one time he engaged to become book- 
keeper to a cloth manufacturer of Yorkshire, but the place 
did not suit his volatile taste and habits ; and having induced 
his employer to cancel the agreement, he returned once more, 
happy as a freed bird, across the hills, and down to his old 
school-nook at Milnrow. Here he continued to reside 
keeping school, painting pictures, and writing occasional 
pieces in prose and verse, together with various letters to 
friends, and here he died, in 1786, and in the 78th year of 
his age. His wife bore him three sons, namely, John, 
Charles, and Thomas, and one daughter, who all survived 
their parents. John became deranged, and was in dress and 
embellishments a greater oddity than any which his father 
had delineated. The daughter also was tainted with the 
same affliction. Several descendants of the family are living 
at Milnrow and in the neighbourhood of Eochdale. 

The following extract relative to Tim Bobbin's son John, 
may be interesting to the reader : — 

" John Collier, commonly called Jacky Collier, one of the sons of 
Tim Bobbin, became insane, and died at Milnrow, near Eochdale, 
after having been for years an object of much interest and 
commiseration to all who knew him. His appearance was most 
striking, as he wore all his clothes inside out, or the wrong side 
before. He was tall and bony in person, very grave in manner, and 
reserved in speech ; and he generally carried a large stick, so that to 



XX11 MEMOIR, 

persons that did not know hhn, be was as much an object of alarm 
as of attention. His coat buttoned behind, gave him a grotesque 
appearance, but the scowl of his eye, especially when annoyed, was 
sufficient to check all disposition to mirth at his expense. He 
seldom spoke even in reply to questions ; and being harmless, except 
when exasperated by being interfered with, he was generally allowed 
to have his own way, and he led a silent life, wandering about the 
neighbourhood, entering such houses as he chose, and, when hungry, 
taking such food as was offered, but never asking for anything. He 
was an excellent draughtsman, and a good portrait painter j and on 
such occasions, he would take up a piece of chalk or a pipe, and with 
a few strokes on the chimney-piece, or the hearth, he would give 
an admirable likeness of any person, or a sketch of any incident which 
took his attention. His portrait, painted by himself, and lately, if 
not at present, in the possession of his sou, is a very singular pro- 
duction, and a most correct likeness. He is represented as wearing a 
fur cap, which at first seems somewhat like a tiara of a Jewish 
high priest. His face is divided by a gash down his right tem- 
ple and cheek, whilst his forehead is bound with a strap, buckled ; 
and a bandage seemingly a hoop, passes across his face and his nose, 
as if to prevent his head from separating. He wears a kind of loose 
vest or cloak, with the collar in front, and his eye lowering from 
beneath his antique cap, has a strange and fearful expression. On 
the back of the picture appears an inscription, of which the follow- 
ing is a literal copy : — 

« John Collier, Esq. Pinx. fi thfe ANNO DOM 1785 MT EKE, 
CON 45 KEALL ETEENAL PPPPP UNIV IMMOET ET 
Sup MAG- Ng\ Ng\ Ng;.' " — Walks in South Lancashire, by 
Samuel Bamford. 



TIM BOBBIN. 



LANKESHUR DIALECT. 



HEADER— YER A SPON-NEW CANE BETWEEN 
TH' EAWTHER AN' HIS BOOK. 

Tim Bobbin enters by his sell, beawt wig ; grinnin' 
an y scratin' his nob. 

Tim. Good lorjus days whot wofo times ar' theese, 
Pot-bos ar scant, and clear ar seawl an cheese, 
Eawr Gotum guides us seely sheep dun rob, 
Oytch public trust is cheyng'd into a job ; 
Leys, taxes, customs, meyn our plucks to throb, 
Yet awm war thrutcht between two arrant 
rogues ; 
For bigger skeawndrills never troadn' brogues 
Than Finch an Stuart — strawngers to o J reet, 
They robn Timmy ee'n ith^ oppen leet. 
This mays me neaw, to cross these rascots ends, 
To send agen to my owd trusty friends : 
For truth is truth, tho't savors like a pun ; 
Fm poor, God wot ! — 

Book. Heaw so ? 

1 



A INTRODUCTION. 

T. My craps o' dun. 

B. Whoo — who, whoo — who • — whoo ! Whot, 
pleag't with' owd cumpany, rhyme an' poverty agen? 
Neaw een th' dule scrat yo — aw thought yodn goo 
bank, for yoar sib to thoose Gotum tikes at yo com 
plen'n on so, an ar neer satisfy' d. 

T. Whooas tat ? tee owd friend ? aw thought 
theawd bin jauntin it like hey-go-mad, withoose 
foster feythers o' thine, Stuart, Finch, an' Schofield, 
o' Middlewich. 

B. Nay belady no I ; awd scorn' t tutch sitch powse- 
ments with tungs. 

T. Whau, boh hastono yerd ot tat creawse tike 
Stuart, an' clummeryeds Finch, an' Schofield, han 
don'd oytch on 'em a bantlin i' three o'the kest-off 
jumps, an thinknt' put Yorshar o'foke. It's sitch 
wark as tis at meys met' scrat wheer aw dunna itch ; 
Yersto meh ? 

B. Yigh, yigh awve yerd ont ; bo' Nick may ride 
humpstriddn a' beggin, o' thoose at conno tell a bitter 
bump fro a gillhooter, say I. 

T. Eh lack- a- day ! Belike theaw dusno know at 
thoose at'n steyl win lie ; an 'at teyn may no bauks 
o' tellin foke at teers is th' reet breed o' bandyhewits; 
an' to clench it, they'n show ther whelps i'th owd 
petch-wark jump, an' heaw then ? 

B. Nay this is a cutter too-too ! a wofo blessin' 
indeed ! Bo' ister no way o' comin meet wi' 'um ? 
'sflesh, aw'd rhyme onem or summut — yo'r ust 'at yo 
cudn ha rhymt. 



INTRODUCTION. 3 

T. Odds fish ! they're partly like carron crows 
mon ; they're no worth meh shot. 

B. But, hark yo ; tell meh one thin ; dnn yo aim 
at sen din' meh eawt agen on another tramp ? 

T. Wuns, eigh ; theawrt likt' strowl agen, as sure 
as a tup's a sheep. 

B. Odzo then, whether th' ullerts ar worth shot or 
uo'j awd hav a push at piggin ivi paid forth' gerthin' ; 
do yo clap some pleagy rhymes o'th neb o' meh cap, 
i' plain print hond, at oytch body may see em shus 
wheer aw com. 

T. Aw did berm op some rhymes o' top o'th sign 
before Stuart shop i' Wiggin, bo' they're sitch rack- 
less dozenin' gawbies, at aw think a sharp redwhot 
whotyel wudno' prick a pirate conscience ; for theyn 
noather feeling shame, nor grace. 

B. Doo as aw bid yo for wonst, let 't leet heaw 't 
wiU. 

T. Whau, wi J o' meh heart; bo' howd lemisee; 
it's noan so good t' begin o' rhymin' at aw see on ; — 
hum — neaw fort. 

Rob-bins a trade that's practised by the great, 
Our ruling men are only th — es of state. 

B. Howd, howd, howd, 'th Dickons tak yo. Aw 
see whot's topmost ; yo'n be hong'd or some mischief, 
an' then o'll be whoo-up wi' yo i' faith. 

T. Not i' Goddil belike !— dusto think so?— Sblid, 
bo' aw hate hongin', — dothee set agate then. 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

B. Whau, aw'll begin o' thisn' then. 

It's whiff- whaff Stuart, — snifterin' Finch yo' known 

Virtue has laft o' — truth is fro' o'nown ! 

Pirates a name — 

T. Whot te dule art woode. Whot'lt doo wi' this 
whiffo-whaffo stuff? dust think rhyme mun olis tawk 
stump Lankeshur ? 

B. Eigh, why not', let 'em speyke greadly as we 
dun i' God's -num. 

T. Nay, nay, ittleno doo ; " tomitch ov owt's good 
for nowt ;" heawe'er, i'ft would hav 'it' myen some- 
heaw o' thatn, theydn bettert be o' thisn : — 

Ah, doughty Stuart ! worthy Finch ! you know, 
Virtue 's a bubble, — honesty a show ! 
Pirate 's a name, you're not asham'd to own, 
Though this and footpad, unto Tim's, all one. 
Such men as these, for gaining of a groat, 
If screen' d by law — would 

Neaw, by th' maskins, iv aw binno fast ! 

B. Then yo'r fast wi' a little i'faith, for aw con 
loce yo' i' that poynt. 

T. Lemmeh see — ho, neaw aw haight ; its be, 
" Slash their neighbour's coat." 

B. Nay byth' lord Harry shall it no, iv aw mun 
rule ; for its be, 

" Cut their neighbour's throat." 

T. Whau, whau, wi' o' meh heart ; bo' let Stuart, 
Finch, an' Schofield, those bell-weathers, an' Hitch 



INTRODUCTION. 

an' Haws, ther sheepish followers, lay ther sows to- 
gether, an' tae which they likn best. 

B. Well ! it's cliverly rhymt o' Tim heawe'er, let 
't be whether it will. Whot an awf wur I t' pretend 
to rhyme wi'yo. 

T. Well, bo', ween had enough o' this froythy mat- 
ter ; let's tawk o' summut elze ; an' furst tell meh 
heaw theaw went on i'the last jaunt ? 

B. Goo on belady ! aw cudha gon on weantly, an 
bin awhom agen wi' crap i'meh slop in a snift, iv 
i'dno met at oytch nook thoose bastertly whelps sent 
eawt be Stuart, Finch, an' Schofield. 

T. Pooh ! — aw dunno my en heaw foke harbortn or 
cuttertn oer'the, bo' whot thoose fawse Lunnoners 
sedn abeawtte jump ats, new oer-bodyd. 

B. Ho, ho, neaw aw haight ; yo meyn 'n thoose 
lung seeted foke, at gloorn secont time at books ; an' 
whooa aw'r fyert woudn rent meh jump to chatters. 

T. Reet mon, reet ; that's it. 

B. Why, to tell yo true, awr breed wi' agorse 
waggin ; bo, they took'n meh i'th reet leet to a hure. 

T. Heawr tat i' God's-num ? 

B. Why at yoadn don'd meh a thisn, like a 
meawntebank foo for th' wonst, to mayth rabblement 
fun. 

T. Eh law ! heawdidn the awvish shap, an' the 
pecklt jump, pan, sedn the ? 

B. Eigh, eigh, primely i'faith ! — for the gloortn 
soor at meh ; turnt meh reawnd like a tealier when 
he mezurs foke ; chukt meh underth chin, gameh a 



6 INTRODUCTION. 

honey-butter-cake, an' sedn openly, they ne'er saigh 
an awkert look, a quere shap, an' a pecklt jump, gree 
better i'ther lyve. 

T. Neaw een fair-fo 'em, say I ; theese wurn th' 
boggarts at flaydn the. Bo' awd olis a notion 'at 
team no gonneryeds. 

B. Gonnoryeds ! nowe, nowe, nottey marry ! Bo' 
aw carrid mehsel meetly meeverly too, and did as yo 
bidn meh. 

T. Theaw towdem the tele ; an' sed th' rhymes an 
o' didto? 

B. Th' tele, an' th' rhymes ? s'flesh, aw believe aw 
did ; bo' aw know no more onem neaw than a seawk- 
in' pig. 

T. Od-rottle the, whot sesto? hasto forgetn th' 
tealier findin th' nrchon ? an' th' rhymes ? 

B. Quite, quite ! as' I hope to chieve. 

T. Neaw, een the dule steawndte say I ! whot a 
fuss mun aw hav to teytchem the agen. 

B. Come, come, dunno fly op in a frap ; a body 
conno carry eytch mander o'thing i'ther nob. 

T. Whau, bomind neaw, theaw gawmblin' tike, 
otto con tell th' tele an' sayth rhymes berote titely. 

B. Fear meno, sed doton ; begin. 

T. A tealier i' Crummil time, wur thrunk pooin' 
turmits in his pingot, an' fund an' urchon ith' had- 
loont-ryen; he glendurt at't lung boh cou'd may 
nowt on't. He whoavt his whisket oert, ran whoam, 
an towd his neybours he thowt ot he'd fund a thing 
at God newer mede eawt ; for it had nother yed nor 



INTRODUCTION. 7 

tele, hont nor hough, midst nor eend ! Loath t' be- 
lieve this, hawve a duzz'n on em woud goot see if 
they coudn mey shift t' gawm it, bo' it capt em ; for 
they newer o one on urn ee'r saigh th } like afore. 
Then theydn a keawnsil, anth' eend ont wur, ot 
teydn fotch a lawm, fawse, owd felly ; het an elder, 
at coud tell oytch thin, for they looknt on him as th' 
hammil-scoance, an thowtn he'r fuller o leet than a 
glow-worm. When theydn towd him th' kese, he 
stroakt his beyrt, sowght, an ordert' th' wheel-barrow 
with spon-new trindle t' be fotcht. 'Twur dun, and 
they beawlt'n him awey toth' urchon in a crack. 
He glooart at't a good while ; droyd his beyrt deawn, 
an wawtut th' urchon o'er wi J his crutch. " Wheel 
meh obeawt ogen, oth' tother side/' sed he, " for it 
sturs, an be that it shou'd be wick." Then he don'd 
his spectacles, steart at't agen, an sowghing sed : 
" Breether, its summot : boh Feather Adam nother 
did nor cou'd kersun it. — W^heel me whoam 
ogen." 

B. I remember it neaw weel enoof, bo if thees 
Viewers coudn gawm it, oytch body cudno' ; for I 
find heaw ot yo comparn me too an urchon, at has 
noather yed nor tele : 'sflesh is not it like running 
me deawn, an a bit too bobbersome ? 

T. Nowe, nowe, naw it, for monny foke woudn 
gawm th' rimes, but very lite woudn understond th' 
tealier and his urchon. 

B. 'Th rhymes — hum — le me see — 'sblid, I for- 
veatn thoose too, aw deawt ! 



o INTRODUCTION. 

T. Whoo — who — whoo ! wliot a dozening jobber- 
know art teaw ! 

B. Good lorjns o'me, a body conno doo moor thin 
the con ; con the ? Bo if yo'n teytch urn me agen, 
an I foryet nm, een raddle meh hoyd titely, sey I. 

T. Mind te hits then. 

Some write to shew their wit and parts, 
Some shew yon Whig, some Tory hearts, 
Some flatter Knaves, some Fops, some Fools, 
And some are M st 1 tools. 

B. Eigh marry, oytchbody seys so — and gonno- 
ryeds they are for their labbor. 

T. Some few in Virtue's canse do write, 
Bnt these alas ! get little by't. 

B. Indeed I con believe yo. Wheel rhynr't heawe'er 
— goo on. 

T. Some tnrn ont maggots from their head, 
"Which die, before their Author's dead. 

B. Zeawns ! o* Inglanshoyr'll think at yoar glen- 
ting at toose fratchin, byzen, cardinly tykes, at writn 
sitch papers osth' Test ; an sitch cawf- teles as Cornish 
Peter, at fund a new ward, snying wi glums an gaw- 
ries. 

T. Some write snch sense in prose and rhyme, 
Their works will wrestle hard with time. 

B. That will be prime wrostlin i'faith, — for Fve 
yerd urn sey, time conquers o' things. 



L 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

T. Some few print truth, but many lies, 
On spirits — down to butterflies. 

B. Write abeawt boggarts — an th' tother ward — 
anth mon ith moon, an sitch like geer : — Get eend- 
wey ; its prime rhyme i'faith. 

T. Some write to please, some do't for spite, 
But want of munney makes me write. 

B. By th' miss tliowd story ogen, bo I think at 
it's true — ittle doo — yo needn rhyme no moore, for 
it's better in likly — Whewt on Tummus an Meary. 



■ — *3C** 



10 



TUMMUS AN MEARY. 



Enter Tummus and Meary, meetin. 

Turn. Odds me, Meary ! whooa the dickons woudha 
thowt o' leeting o' thee heer so soyne this mornin ; ? 
Wheer hasto bin? Theaw'rt o' on a swat, aw think; 
for theaw looks primely. 

Me a. Beleemeh Tummus aw welly lost meh wynt ; 
for awve had sitch o'treawnce this mornin' as aw neer 
had eh meh lyve. For I went to Jone's o Harry's o 
lung Jone's, for't borrow their thible, to stur th' 
furmetry wi, an his wife had lent it to Bet o'my 
Gronny's ; so aw skeawert eend-way, an when eh 
coom there, hoo'd lent it Kester o'Dick's, and th' 
brindFtcarl, he'd mede it int' shoon pegs ! Neaw 
wouldno sitch o moon-shoyne traunce potter any body 
plucks ? 

T. Mark wot aw tell the Meary ; for I think th* 
lunger ot fok livn an' th' moor mischoances they 
han. 

M. Not olis o Goddil. But whot meys yot'sowgh 
an seem so dane-kest ? For I con tell yo I'm fene t' 
see yo wick an hearty. 

T. Wick an hearty too ! Oddzo, but I con tellthe 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. II 

whot, its moor in th' bargin at im oather wick or 
hearty, for 'twur seign peawnd to a tuppunny jannock, 
I'd bin os dyed as a dur nail be this eawer; for th' 
last oandurth boh one, me measter had likt'ha kilt 
meh : an just neaw, as shure as thee and me ar ston- 
nin heer, Pm actilly runnin meh country. 

M. Why, whot's bin th' matter ? hanyo foan eawt 
withur measter ? 

T, Whot ! there's bin moort'do in a gonnort drop, 
I'll uphowd tey ! For whot dust think ? bo'th' tother 
day boh yusterday, uz lads mootn ha' a bit on a 
hallidey, (becose it wur th' Circumspecsion onner 
Ledey I believe) yet we munt do some odds-an-eends ; 
and I munt oather bryed mowdywarp-holes or gut' 
Rachdaw weh a keaw an a why-kawve — neaw, loothe 
Meary, I'r lither ; an had a mind on a jawnt : so I 
donn'd meh Sunday jump, o' top o' meh singlet, an 
wou'd goa with keaw on th' kawve ; and the dule tey 

bad luck for me, for eawer bitch Nip went wimmey, 
on that mede ill wurr. 

M. I connaw gawm heaw that coud mey ill luck 
Tummus. 

T. Now, nor no mon elze till they known ; boh 
here's a fine droy canking pleck under this thurn, 
let's keawer us deawn oth y earth a bit, and I'll tell 
the o' heaw't wur. 

M. Weh o' meh heart, for meh Deme's gone fro 
whoam, on hoo'll no com ogen till baggin-time. 

T. Whau, as I're tellin the, I'd gut' Ratchdaw : so 

1 geet up be skrike o daj, an seet eawt ; an went 



12 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

ogreath, till i welly coom within two mile oth teawn ; 
when as the dule would haight, a tit wur stonnin at 
an eleheawse dur, an meh kawve took th' tit for it 
mother, and wond need sewk hur ; an aw believe th' 
foolish twod of a tit took tb/ kawve for hur cowt, hoo 
whinnit so when hoo saigh it ; boh when hoo feld it 
seawke, hoo up with hur hough an kilt meh kawve 
os dyed as a nit ! 

M. E Lord ! — whot o trick wur that ! 

T. Trick ! Odds flesh, sitch o trick wur newer 
pleyd \' Inglonshoyr. 

**M. Why, hark yo Tummus, whot cudn yo doo 
weet? Yoad be quite brokn. 

T. Doo ! what coud i do ? ; flesh in't had bin kilt 
greadly, twou'd ha bin as good vyel os e'er deed on 
a thwittle ; for meh measter moot ha had seignteen 
shillin an susepence for't th' yeandurth afore. 

M. Yo didno lyev it ith' lone ? 

T. Ney Meary ; I'r naw sitch a gawby os tat coom 
too noather ; for as luck wou ; d haight, a butcher wur 
ith' eleheawse, an he coom eawt when he yerd meh 
kawve bah : boh estid o being soory, when he saigh 
it sprawlin oth' yerth, th' fly'rin carron seet up a 
gurd of leawghin, and cou'd for shawm tell me he'd 
berry it meh for a pint o' ale. 

M. Whau, that wur pratty chep ; for Dicky o' 
Wills o' Jones o' Sams, towd meh, at he berrid a chilt 
tother day at Katchdaw, an he paide Jo Green & groat 
for a greav no bigger nor a phipunny trunk. 

T. Whau, that moot be ; but Fd naw geet him, 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 13 

for I borrod a shoo, an wou'd berrit meh seln, I'r 
thrunk shoaving it in, when a thowt coom int' meh 
noddle, ot th' hoyde cou'd be no wur, so I'd flee it ; 
but th' dule a thwittle wurt' be leet on bo' th' butch- 
er's, on'th spoytfoo tyke wou'dno lyend it meh. Neaw 
Meary, whot cou'd onny mon doo ? 

M. Doo ! Fst ha gon stark woode. 

T. I believe ot wou'd, or onny mon elze ; boh that 
wou'd doo nowt i'my kese, so I bargint with th' ras- 
cot; he'r to teyth' hoyde grooing toth' carcuss, an 
gi meh throtteen pence ; so I geet th' brass, an went 
eendwey with keaw. 

M. Neaw meh mind misgives meh ot yoar'n gooin 
a sleeveless arnt : an at felly wudno tak'th' keaw 
beawt'th kawve. 

T. Uddzo, Meary ! theaw geawses within two tum- 
bles ov a meawse ; for it war lung, an lunger, afore 
he wou'd ; boh when I towd him heawt wur knockt 
oth sow, with a tit coak'n as i'coom, and at he moot 
order wi meh measter obeawt it, he took her ot lung 
length. Then I went an bowt two peawnd o sawt, 
an an eawnce of black pepper for eawer foke, an went 
toart whom agen. 

M . With a fearfoo heavy heart I'll uphowd'o. 

T. Eigh, eigh — ; that's true — boh whottle to say 
when ot I tell the, 'th butcher ne'er berrid th' kawve, 
boh sowd it i' Owdum that oarndurth, for tuppence 
haw penny a peawnd ! 

M. Say ! why be mek troth it wur fair chettin : 
but it's meet like their rascotty tricks, for there's not 

2 



14 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

an honest bwon ith hoyde o* newer a greasy tyke on 
urn o\ 

T. Indeed Meary, Fm i'thy mind : for it wur reet 
rank ; boh I think i'meh heart at rascots ith' ward 
ar as thick as wasps in a hummobee-neest. 

M. Its not tell, buh Fst marvil stranngely an yo 
leetn on a war kneave nor this. 

T. Alack a dey ! theaw knows bo little oth matter. 
Boh theawst yer — Idno gettn forrud back ogen, 
aboon a mile or so, afore eh saigh a parcel o' lads an 
hobblety-hoys, as thrnnk as Thrap wife ; when ot eh 
geet too um, I condna gawm what team obeawt ; for 
two on urn carrid a steeigh o' ther shilders, another 
had a riddle in his hont, an Hal o' Nabs ith^ Midge- 
lone had his knokus lapt in his barmskin ; awth' rest 
on um had hoyts, or lung kibboes, like swingin sticks 
or raddlins. 

M. Ith 5 name o Katty, whot wurn the for ? 

T. Now ots owt theaw mey be sure, if that hawm- 
poin tyke Hal wur wr'um : Neaw theaw mun know, 
ot one neet last shearin-time, when Jone's o Harry's 
geetn their churn, this same scap-gailows, wur taen 
i theer pleawmtree, an wur eh sitch a flunter ? gettin 
deawn agen, at he feell, on broke th' collar-bown on 
his leg. 

M. A wrang joynt hong him; I know him weel 
enough, for the last great snow heer for hongin a 
hare i' some hure gillers, an he throttlt eaw'r poor 
Teawzer in a clewkin grin. 

T. Th varra same So I asht him whot team 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 15 

for ? Why, sed he, ween meet neaw seen an eawl fly 
thro' yon leawp-hoyle into th' leath, an weer gooint 
tay hur. Come Turn (sed he) egad, iftle goo with 
us, theawst see sitch gam os theaw newer saigh i'the 
lyve; beside theawst howd th/ riddle. Sed I, I 
knowno whot to myens be howdin th' riddle, boh 
aw'll goo wi' o' meh heart in tie teytch meh ; I con 
show the in a crack sed he. So away we wentn, an 
begun a crommin o'th leawp-hoyles, an th' slifters 
ith leath woughs full o' awts ; then we reeartn th' 
steeigh softly agen th' wough under th' eawl hoyle. 
Neaw lads (sed Hal) mind yur hits ; Fll lap meh 
honds i' meh barmskin ot hoo canno scrat meh when 
ot i'tak ur itu' hoyle : Turn o' William's mun climb 
th J steeigh, thrutch th' strey eawt oth leawp-hoyle, 
an howd the riddle cloyse on*t. Awth J rest mun be 
powlerers, an flay hur into't. So away they seetn 

into th' leath, on toynt dur on I 

M. Why neaw, Fll be far, if i'd naw reyther ha 
seent it in a puppy-show. 

T. Good Lorjus, Meary ! theawrt so hasty; sol 
clum th' steeigh in o snift, shoavt th* awts eawt, an 
smackt me riddle oth' hoyle. Fd no soyner done 
sooa, but I yerd one on um say : " See o, see o, hoos 
teer \" — (e Shu," sed one ; " shu," sed another — then 
they o begun o hallo win an whoopin like hey go-mad. 
I thowt it wur rear'st spooart ot ewer mortal mon 
saigh ; so I gran, an I thrutcht, till meh arms wartchnt 
ogen ; still they keptn shuin, an powlerin ith leath ; 
an then I thowt I feld summot nudge tb/ steeigh — I 



16 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

lookt deawn, an there were an owd soo bizzy scrattin 
hur ribs o one o J th strines. 'Sflesh, thinks it' meh 
seln, hool ha me deawn eend neaw. Jnst then I 
thowt I yerd th J eawl come into th/ hoyle ; an pre- 
sently summot coome with a greyt flusk thro th* 
riddle. 

M. Odds mine ! an didney let hur gooa or yo tookn 
hur ? 

T. Tookn hur ! Nay Meary ; an eawFs naw so 

soyne tean — boh I con hardly tell the, I'm so 

waughish for Fm readyt cowkn with th' thowts 

ont ; there wur nont tay Meary. 

M. Whot no eawl ? 

T. Now, now, — not teear — it wur nowt ith ward 
o' God, boh arron owd lant ot theyd'n mede war wi 
puttin durt nr't : an that hodge-podge coom i' me 
fase wi sitch a ber, at a sumheaw it made meh meazy, 
an I feel off th J steeigh ; boh moor be choance thin 
onny good luck, I leet disactly 0th' soo, weh sitch o 
soltch, at aw think i' meh heart ot hoor bwoath wur 
flay'd an hurt thin I wur. 

M. Eh Lord ! whot a wofoo foe hadn yo ? 

T. Eigh, foe eigh ; for I thowt id brokn th' crup- 
per-booan o' meh rump, but it wur better in likly ; 
for Fd no hurt boh tV tone theawm stunnisht, an 
th J skin bruzz'd off th' whirl-booan o' meh knee, at 
mede meh tfhawmpo a bit. 

M. Awt upon um, whot unmannerly powsements ! 
Fst ha bin stark-giddy at um, an ha raddlt ther 
bwons. 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 17 

T. Fr as woode ^as teaw cou'd be, or onny nion 
elze, boh theaw knows ev'ry mon ; is no a witch ; heaw- 
eer I hawmpo't reawnd thMeath fort' snap some oth 
bullockin basturts, boh none cou'd eh leet on, for 
they'rnjo^crop^n^intoth leath, an th' durs as safe as 
Beest'n Castle ; JdoIi they mead'n me't yer um ifaith, 
for thear'n o' wherryin an leawghin, whoopin on 
sheawtin, like maddlocks at ther new tean eawl, as teh 
cawd'n meh. Wuns, Meary ! in id had foyer Fst ha 
set th' how leath on a halliblash in id deed for't ; boh 
then th' soo kept sitch o skrikin reckin din, as if hnr 
back wur iteaw i' two spots, at I dnrst stay no lunger 
for fear o' sumbody commin, an meyin me necessary 
to hur dyeth ; so I scampurt awey as hard as I cou'd 
pinn. An ran a mile i' that pickle afore 'I ga one 
glent behind meh. Then aw leep o'er a ris'n hedge, 
an as a rindle o' wetur wur wheem, aw wesht o' meh 
clooas, till it come to meh hure, an o' little enoof too; 
for aw think imeh heart awst stink like a foomart 
while meh names Turn. 

M. Neaw een bimeh troth, aw thowt yo favortn 
fearfo strung ov a yarb. Boh when o's done, Tum- 
mus, this killin oth kawve, and eawl catchin wur none 
olung o Nip. 

T. Odds heart ; howdte tung Meary, for I oather 
angert some he- witch, or the dule threw his club o'er 
meh that mornin, when? geet op ; for misfortins 
coomn on meh as thick as leet. 

M. Uddzlud ; none through Nip, i Goddil. 

T. Through Nip ; yigh through Nip ; an aw woud 
hur neck had bin broken i J nine spots when hoor 

2 S 



18 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

whelpt, for me (God forgi' meh ; the deawn cretur's 
done no hurt noather) for awd no' greadly wesht an 
fettlet meh, an lippn intoth lone agen, boh aw met 
a fattish do win felley in a blackish wig, an he stoode 
an glooart at Nip. Quo he, honist mon ; wilt sellthe 
dhog? Sed I, meh dhog's a bitch, an so's neer a 
dhog ith teawn. For bimeh troth, Meary, awr as 
cross as an ex. 

M. Odd, boh yoarn boddersome, an onsert him 
awvishly too. 

T. Well, boh dhog or bitch, sed th' felley, iv awd 
known on hur three days sin, awd ha ganthe twenty 
shillin for hur, for aw see hoos a reet stawnch Ban- 
dyhewit; an theers a gentlemon at wooans abeawt 
three mile off, at wants one meet neaw. Neaw, 
Meary, to tell the true, awd a mind t' chet, (God 
forgi meh) and sell him meh sheep cur for a Bandy - 
hewit, tho aw no moor knew thin th' mon ith' moon 
whot a Bandyhewit wur. Whaw, sed I, hoos primely 
bred, for hur mother coom fro Lunnun, tho' hoor 
whelpt at meh measter's ; an tho hoos as good as ony 
i' Inglonshoyer, awll sell hur iv meh price come. 

M. Well dun, Tummus ; whot sed he then ? 

T. Whaw, quo he, whot dust ax for hur? Hoos 
worth a ginney an a hawve o'gowd, sed I, boh a gin- 
new awll ha for hur. Quo he, aw gan a ginney for 
mine, an awd reyther ha thine bi a creawn; boh 

ivtle gooa to Justice Justice hum — lemmi see 

— boh aw foyetn heaw he's coad, (boh a greyt matter 
on him, for aw think he's a piece ov a rascot as weel 
asth rest), he'll be fain oth bargain. 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 19 

M. That wur cliver too ; wur itno ? 
T, Yigh, meeterly. — Then I asht him whot way 
aw munt gooa, and he towd meh. On away aw seet, 
wimi heart as leet as a bit ov a neigh, an earrid Nip 
unther meh arm, — for neaw theaw mun untherstond 
aw'r fyert o'loysin hur, nere deawtin at aw cond be rich 
enoof t' pay meh measter for the kawve, an ha snmmnt 
t' spare. 

M . Odds fish ; boh that wnr brave ; yoarn i'no ill 
case neaw Tummus. 

T. Whaw boh theawst yer. It wur a dree way 

too, toth Justice heawse; heaweer aw get theer bi 

suse o' clock ; an afore eh oppnt th' dur, aw covert 

Nip with' cleawt 'at eh droy meh nose we ; , 'tlet th' 

Justice see heaw aw stoart hur. Then aw oppnt th' 

dur, and whot dost think? but three little bandy - 

hewits, as aw thought em, coomn weawghin as iv th' 

little rottns woudha worrid meh, an afther that swal- 

lud meh wick. Then thur coom a fine fresh cullert 

woman, at keckt as stiff as if hood swallud a poker, 

an aw took hur for a hoo Justice, hoor so meety fine. 

For aw yerd Ruchot d Jacks, o' Terns, tell meh 

measter 'at th' hoo justices olis didn mwost oth' 

wark ; — heawere, I axt hur iv Mester Justice wur 

awhom ? Hoo cudno oppn hur meawth t'say aye or 

nawe, boh simpert, an sed, iss, (th' Dickons iss hur 

an him too) . Sed I aw wudidn tell him awd fain 

speyk to him. 

M. Odd, boh yoarn bowd. 1st habin timmersome ; 
boh let's know heaw yo wentn on. 



20 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

T. Whaw, weel enoof ; for theaw may Nip an chett, 
as ill as one o' ther clarks, an theyn no meddle withe; 
boh theaw munno frump nor tyes um ; for they hatn 
t' beh vext. 

M. Boh heaw wentn yo on? Wurth Justice 
awhom ? 

T. Eigh, eigh, an coom snap, an axt meh whotF 
wantud ? " Whaw," sed I, ' ' awve a very fine ban- 
dyhewit t'sell, an aw yerd at yo wantud one, sur." 

" Humph ! — sed he, — a bandyhewit prithee let's 

look at't." Yigh, sed I, an aw pood th' cleawt off 
hur, stroakt hur deawn th' back, an sed. hoos as fine 
a bandyhewit as ever ran afore a tail. 

M. Well done Tummus ! Yo cudno mend tat, iv 
yo hadn it t ; doo agen. Boh yoar fit t ; goo eawt r'faith. 

T. Hoos a fine un indeed, sed th' Justice, an it's a 
theawsan pities boh awd known on hur yusterday, for 
a felley coom, an aw bought one nosso good as this be 
hawve a guiney, an awl uphowdtey, theawllta a ginney, 
for this .An that awl hav ivi cud leet ov a chapmon, 
sed I. Hoos richly worth it, sed he; an aw think aw 
contell the wheer theaw may part wi hur, iv he binno 
fittud oready. 

M. Odds-like ! boh that wur a good neyturt Jus- 
tice ; wur he no ? 

T. Eh Meary, theaw tawks like a seely ninney- 
hommer ; for, tey mey wort fort, nowt ats owt con 
come out, when a mon dyels wi rascotly foke. Boh, 
as awr tellin the, he namt a felley at wooant abeawt 
three mile off, (boh th ; Dule forget him, as aw dun), 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 21 

so aw munt gooa back agen, through Rachda. "Well, 
aw geet Nip unther meh arm, made a scroap wimi 
hough, an bid th' Justice good neet ; wi a heavy heart, 
theaw maybeh sure ; an boh asi thought, i'coud ashelt 
sell hur i'this tother pleck it woud sartinly ha brokn. 

M. Lord bless us ; it wur likt trouble yo meetily. 

T. Boh theawst yer ; awd no gone o'er a boon a 
feelt or two, when aw coom to a great bruck, wi a 
feaw, narrow, saplin' brig o'er it. As it had raint 
th' neet afore as iv th' welkin wudha oppent, th' 
wetur wur bonk-full ; though it wur fegger a dyel ith 
mornin ; an o' someheaw, when awr abeawt hawve 
o'er, meh shough slipt, an deawn coom I arsy-varsy, 
wi Nip imi arm, intoth wetur. Nip aw leet fend for 
hurseln, an flaskert tilli geet howd ov a sawgh, an so 
charrd mehseln, or elze noather thee nor no mon elze 
had ewer seen Turn agen ; for by meh troth, awr 
welly werknt. 

M. Good lorj us days ! th' like wur never. This had 
likt ha shad o'th tother ; an yet yo coomn far-rantly 
off marry, for it wur a great marcy yo wurnno dreawnt. 

T. Aw knowno whether it wur or naw; boh theaw 
may be sure aw'r primely boyernt, an as weet as ewer 
eh cud sye. Beside awd no com to kerne meh hure, 
so at aw lookt likker a dreawnt meawse nor a mon. 

M. Beside yoadn be as cowd as iccles. 

T. Eigh, theaw may geawse awr none maughn. 
Boh theawst yer. Awd no gone aboon a stone's thrut 
afore eh wundret whotte pleague wur th' matter 
wimmi, for aw begant smart as iv five hunthert piss- 



22 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

motes wurn imeh clooas. Aw loast em deawn, boh 
cud see nowt at wur wick, an yet aw lookt as rey as a 
need meawse : sflesh ! awr readyt' gooa woode, an 
knewno whot eh ailt, an then I bethought meh o'th 
sawt. 

M. Eh, waes me ! awd fryetn that too. Aw deawt 
it would quite mar yo. 

T. Nowe, nowe, Meary ; awr no quite mard. It's 
true aw went wigglety wagglety for an eawer or so, 
afore awr ogreath agen; an wheni geet reet, an coomt 
grope imeh singlit pocket for meh sawt, th' dule a bit 
o' sawt wurther, for it wur o' run away ; an neaw it 
jumpt into meh mind at aw saigh two rottn pynots 
(hongem) at tis same brig as icoom. 

M. Did ever ! That wur a sign o' bad fortin ; for 
I yerd meh gronny say hood as leef ha seen two owd 
Harries as two pynots. 

T. Eigh, so says meh noant Margit an mony foke 
beside. An I know at pynots are as cunnin eawls as 
wawkn o' this yearth. Boh, as awr tellin the, Meary, 
whot with smart, an one thin an another, awr so 
strackt woode at aw cudha fund imeh heart to punst 
th' bitch guts eawt ; an then I thought agen, " Nip's 
ino fawt." For bemeh troth awr welly off at side. 

M. Indeed Tummus, I believe yo ; bo alack a day, 
punsin th 5 bitch woudha bin reet rank. 

T. That's true; boh theaw knows one conbo doo 
whot tey con doo. 

M. Reet; boh heaw didn yo wiyur weet clooas? 
wurno yo welly parisht ? 



TUMxMUS AND MEARY. 23 

T. Yigh bimeh troth; aw dithert till meh teeth 
hacknt imeh yed agen. Boh that wurno o' ; it begant 
be dark, an awr beawt scoance, in a strawnge country, 
five or suse mile fro whom, so at aw manndert i'th 
fields aboon two heawers, an cudno gawm wheer iwur, 
for aw moot as weel ha bin in a oon ; an iv awd held 
op meh hont, aw cud no moor ha seent thin icon see 
a neigh o'thee neaw; an heer it wur aw geet into 
a -gate. For aw thought aw yerd summut comin, an 
iv truth munbeh spokken, awr so fearfully flayd, at 
meh yure stoode on eend, for theaw knows aw noather 
knew whooa nor whot it moot be. 

M. True, Tummus ; no marvil at yo wurn so fleyd, 
it wur so fearfo dark. 

T. Heaweer I resolvt t'mayth best ont, an up speek 
I : " Whooas tat ?" A lad voyce onsert in a cryin 
din, "Eh law, dunno tay meh! dunno tay meh!" 
Nawe, nawe, sed I, awll no tay the belady ; whooas 
lad arto ? Whau, sed he, awm Jone o' Sail, o' Simmy, 
o' Mariom, o' Dick, o^ Nethon, o^ Sail, o' Simmy i^th 
Hooms lad ; an awm gooin whom. Odd, thinks I 
t'mehseln thews a dreer name thin me; an here, 
Meary, I cudno boh think whot lung names sum on 
us han : for thine an mine are meeterly, boh this lad 
name wur so mitch dree-er at aw thought it dockt 
mine th' tone hawve. 

M. Preeyo neaw, tell meh heaw theese lung names 
leetn ? 

T. Um — um — um ; lemeh see — aw conno tell the 
greadly ; boh aw think they'r to tell foke by. 



24 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

M. Well, an heaw didnyo goo on wi th' lad ? 

T. Then (as I thowt lie tawkt so awkertly) Fd ax 
him for tk' wonst whot uncuths he'd yerd sturrin? 
I yerd noan, sed he, but at Jack o' Neds tbwd meh 
at Sam o' Jacks o' Yeds, Marler, has wed Mall o' 
Nans, o' Sails o' Pegs, at gwos obeawt beggin churn- 
milk, with pitcher with lid on. Then I asht him 
wheer Jack o' Neds wooant? Sed he, he's prentice 
wi Isaac o' Tims o' Nicks, o'th Hough-lone ; an he'd 
bin at Jam my o' Georges o' Peters, i'th Dingle, for 
hawve a peawn o' treacle t' seawsn a beest puddin 
wi' ; an his feyther an moother wooant at Rossenda, 
boh his gronny wur alyve, an wooant wi' his noant 
Margit, i'Grinfilt, at pleck wheer his nown moother 
coom fro. Good lad, sed I, boh how far's Little- 
brough off? for I aimt see it toneet iv i'con hit it. 
Sed t'lad, its obeawt a mile, and yo mun keep streight 
forrud o' yur lift hont, an yoan happen do. So a 
thatn we partud, boh aw mawkint an lost meh gate 
agen snap; an aw powlert o'er yates and steels, 
hedges an doytches tilli coom to this Littlebrough ; 
an heer, awr ill breed agen, for aw thought awd seen 
a boggort, it proovt to be a mon wi' a piece woo, 
res tin him on a stoop i'th lone. As soon as eh coud 
spyek for whackerin I asht him wheer ther wur an 
aleheawse, an he showd meh. I went in, an fund 
at two fat throddy foke warn teer, an some o'th warst 
fratchin cumpany at eer eh saigh, for theyrn warryin, 
bannin, an coe-in one another leawsy eawls as thick 
os leet. Heaweer aw pood a cricket an keawert meh 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 25 

tleawn i'th nook at side o'th hob. Awd no soyner 
dun so, boh a feaw seawr lookt felly wi a wythen 
kibbo at he had in his hont, slapt a swort ov a wither- 
mezzilt faest mon sitch a thwang o'th scawp at o' varra 
reecht agen, an deawn he coom o'th harstone, wi his 
yed i'th esshole. His scrunt wig feel off, an a hontle 
o' wot corks feel intot, an brunt an frizzlt it so, at 
when he awst to don it on it slipt o'er his sow, an 
leet like a hawmbark on his shilders. Aw glendurt 
like a stickt tup for fear ov a dust mehseln, an crope 
fur intoth chimley. Oytch body thowt at mezzil faes 
woud may a flittin ont, an dee in a crack, so sum on 
um crydn eawt, " a doctor, a doctor," while others 
maydn th' lonlort go saddl th' tit to fotch one. While 
this wur idooin sum on um hadn leet ov a kin ov a 
doctor at wooant a bit off, an they showdn him at 
th' mon o'th harstone. He laid howd ov his arm, to 
feel his pulse, aw geawse, an pood as iv he'd seen 
dyeth pooin at th' tother arm, an wur resolvt to oer- 
poo him. After lookin doekinly wise a bit he geet on 
his whirly bwons an sed to um o' " while his heart 
byets, an his blood sarclates there's hope, boh when 
that stop, its whoo-up wi him i'faith." Mezzil faes 
yerrin summut abeawt whoo-up, started to his feet, 
note noan, boh gran like a foomart dhog, an seet at 
black swarfy tyke wi bwoth naves, an wawtut him o'er 
intoth galker full o' new drink at wur wurchin. He 
began a possin an peylin him int' so, at o' wur blendud 
together snap. ' S flesh, Meary, theawd ha blesst the 
to ha seen he aw th' goblin wur awtert when they 

3 



26 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

poodn him eawt agen, an whot a hob-thurst he lookt 
wi o' that berm obeawt him. He kept droyin his een, 
boh he met as wheel ha seawd um op, till th 3 lonlady 
had made an heawers labbor on him at tb/ pump. 
When he coom in agen he glooart awvishly at Mezzil 
faes, an Mezzil faes glendurt as wry therly at him agen, 
boh noather on um warrit nor thrapt. So they seetn 
um deawn, an then th/ lonlady coom in, an woud 
may nmt' pay for th' lumber at teydn dun hur. 
" Meh drinks wur beh a creawn," sed hoo ; " beside, 
theer's two tumblers, three quiftin pots, four pipes 
masht, an a how papper o ; bacco shed." This mayd 
umt' glendur at tone-tother agen ; boh black tyke 
passion wur coolt at th' pump, an th' wythen kibbo 
had quietnt tother, so at te cammd little or noan, boh 
agreednt pay o' meeon ; then seetn um deawn an wurn 
friends in a snift. 

M. This wur mad gaumblin wark, an welly as ill 
as tayin tlr' eawl. 

T. Nay, no quite noather, Meary, for berms a how- 
some smell. Heaweer, when o' wur sattlt, aw crope 
nar th' foyer agen; for aw wantud a warm fearfully, 
for awr bwoth cowd an weet, as weel as hongry an 
droy. 

M. Beleemy, Tummus, yo mootn weel be ; boh 
yoarn i' good kele too at yodn money i' yor pockit. 

T. Eigh, aw thowt awd money enoof, boh theawst 
yer moor o' that in neaw. So aw coad for summut 
teat, an a pint o' ale ; an hoo browt meh some hog- 
muttn an special turmits, an as prime vyel an pestil 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 27 

as need bch tutcht. I creemt Nip neaw an then a 
lunshun, boh Turn took care o'th tother, stcawp an 
reawp : for I eet like a Yorshor-mon, an cleert th* 
stoo. 

M. Well dun, Tumnms ; yoadn sure need no ree- 
supper : for yo shadn wrynot, . an slanst tla.' charges 
frowt aw yer. 

T. True, so aw seet an restud meh, and drank 
meh pint o' ale, boh as awr no greadly sleckt, aw 
coed for another, an bezzilt tat too, for awr as droy 
as soot, an as twur tolate to goo ony wither wi meh 
bitch, I axt th' lonlady iv icud stay o' neet ? Hoo 
towd mey aw moot iv iwoud. Sed I, awll goo neaw 
iv in goo wimeh. I goo wi the, quo hoo. Whot, 
arto fyert o boggarts, or theawrt no' weant yet an 
conno sleep beawt a pap ? Sflesh, sed I, whot aryo 
tawkin obeawt ? Aw want gut bed. Ho-ho, iv that 
be o', sed hoo, Margits show the. So Margit leet a 
candle, an showd meh a woisty reawm, an a bed wi 
curtners forsooth. Aw thought Margit pottert an 
fettlt lung i'th choamber afore hoo laft it, an aw mis- 
trust at hoor meawlt for a bit o' tusslin and teawin, 
boh o' someheaw awr so toyart an yealo, at awr ino 
fettle for catterweawin ; so aw sed nowt too hur, boh 
aw afterthought sin, for hoor no daggletail, aw'll 
uphowdte, boh as snug a lass as Sarah o ; Rutchot's 
cary bit. 

M. Marry, kem-eawt ! like enoof, why not ? Is 
Sarah o J B/utchots so honsum? 

T. Eigh, hoos meeterly ; heaweer, when Margit 



28 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

wur gone aw doft meh donk shoon an hoyse, an meh 
doge clooas, an geet int bed; an \> truth, Meary, I 
newer lee i'sitch a bed sin i'wur kersunt. 

M. Eh deer, Tummus. Aw cud ha likt had one oth 
same mack, I warrant yoadn sleep seawndly ? 

T. Nay, aw conno say at aw did, for awr meetily 
trublt a beawt meh kawve. Beside awr fyert o' 
eawer foke seechin meh, on meh measter bastin meh 
when igeet whom. It's true meh car cuss wur pratty 
yezzy, boh meh mind met as weel ha line in a pissmote 
hoyle, or in a rook o' hollins or gorses, for it wur one 
o'clock afore icud toyne meh een. 

M. Well, an heaw wentn yo on i'th mornin, when 
yo wacknt? 

T. Whau, as awr donnin meh thwoanish clooas, 
aw thaught awll know heaw meh shot stons afore aw 
wear moor o' meh brass o' brekfust; so when aw 
went deawn tb/ lonlady coom an kest it op to throt- 
teen pence. " So," thought 1 1' mehseln, "a weawndud 
dyel ; Whot strushon hav aw made beer ! aw cudha 
fund mehseln a how week wi us for that money; 
awst no have one boadl t' spare o' meh hoyde- brass." 
An neaw awr in as ill a kele as meet-shad; Wur 
Tno? 

M. Nowe marry, no' yo ; iv Iddn made strushon 
an bezzilt away moor brass nor yo hadn yo metn ha 
tawkt. 

T. Aw find teaw con tell true to a hure into will, 
Meary ; for, by th' miss, when at I coomt grope 
i' meh slop t'pay hur, awr weawndudly gloppnt. for th/ 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 29 

dule a hawpenny hadi ; an whetheri lost it i'th 
brack, or wi scrawmin o'er th' doytch-backs, aw no 
moor know nor th' mon i'th moon. Buh gone it wur; 
aw steart like a wil-cat ; aw wur welly gawmliss ; an 
at last aw towd hnr awd lost meb money. Sed boo, 
" Whot-dun yo myen mon? Yoastno' pnt Yorsbur 
o' me. That tale winno fit me ; so yoar likt pay o' 
sum heaw." Sed I, " boh it's true, an yomay grope 
imeh clooas an yo win." " Theawrt sum mismannert 
jackanapes, awll uphowdte," sed hoo. "Nay, nay, 
awst no' grope i'the clooas, not 1" " Whan/' sed I, 
" yoar likt ha nowt then, beawt yoan ta meb woollin 
mittins an meh sawt cleawt." Thosn no doo, sed 
hoo, theyr no' bwoth worth aboon two groats. I 
nowt elze, sed I, beawt yoan hameh sneeze urn, an 
awm loatht' part weet, becose Seroh o' Rutchots 
gaight meh th' last Kessmuss. Let's see um, sed 
hoo ; ^for theawrt sum arron r ascot I'll uphowdte. 
So aw gan um hur ; an still th' broddlin fussuck lookt 
a feaw as Tunor, when id done. 

M. Good-lorjus-o'-me ! I think yodn th' warst 
luck at ewer kersunt soul had. 

T. Theaw'll say so in neaw. Well, awr toyart o' 
that pleck, an crope away beawt oather bit, or sawp, 
or cup o' sneeze ; for aw gawmblt an leet tat gooa 
too. I soyne, heaweer, sperd that gentlemon's hoe 
eawt, an wheni geet theer, aw gan a glent intoth 
shippn, an seed a mon stonnin i'th groop. Sed 
I, is yur measter awhom prayyo ? Eigh, sed he ; I 
would Tdn fain speyk at him, sed I. Yigh, sed he, 

3§ 



30 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

that awll doo. So heer so soyner gwon boh a fine 
fattish throddy gentlemon coom in a trice, an axt 
me whoti wantud ? Sed I, aw understond at yo 
wantn a good bandyhewit sur, an ov a fine un t'sell 
heer. Let's see th' shap on hur, sed he. So aw 
stroakt her deawn th' back, an cobbd hnr o'th greawnd. 
Hoost th' finst at ewer isaigh, sed he ; boh I deawt at 
thingsn leet unlucky forthe, for aw geet two this last 
week, and they mayn op meh ceawnt. Unneaw, Meary, 
Fr reddyt' cruttle deawn, for theaw mootha knockt 
meh o'er wi a pea. Boh whotste price ? sed he. Aw 
conno thwooal hur t'meh nown broother under a 
ginney. sed 'I. Hoos chep at tat, sed he ; an no 
deawt boh theaw may sell hur. 

M. Odds-like. Yoarn lung i'findin a chapmon. 
Oytch body'r olis fittut so. 

T. Eigh, fittut eigh ; for they nedn noan, no moor 
nor aw need wetur imeh shoon, not tey. Then sed 
he, thurs an owd cratchinly gentlemon, at wooans at 
yon heawse amung yon trees, meet anent us, at aw 
believe'll githe the price ; iv not, justice sitch a one's 
a likely chap, iftle gooa thither. Sed I, awr theer 
th' last oandurth, an heed leet o' one th' yeandurth 
afore. That leet feawly for thee, sed he. Eigh, sed 
I, so it een did, for aw mayd a peawr o' labbor 
obeawt it awm sure. Well, boh this owd gentlemon' s 
liklyst ov onny at I know, sed he ; so aw mayd 
him meh manners, an seet eawt for this tother 
pleck. 

M. I hope idn ha better luck i' God's num. 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 31 

T. Whau, aw thought icud too ; for neaw it popt 
int' meh mind at Nip didno howd hur tail hee en oof", 
an at foke wudno buoy liur becose o' that. Ivto hasno 
fryetn awbowt two eawnceso'pepper when id meh sawt, 
an tho twur as thodd'n as a tharcake awd rub hur rump 
we'et, for awd seen Oamfrey o' Matho's play that 
tutch by his creawp tailt mare that day at Yeb o'th 
Redbonk coomt buoy hur. So meet afore eh geet to 
th' heawse. I took Nip an rubd hur primely i'faith, 
een till hoo yeawlt agen. Awr at th' place in a crack, 
an leet o'th owd mon ossint' get o' tit back. Sed I 
too him, is yoar name Mester Scar ? Sed he, theawrt 
" oather gryev, or gryev-by," but aw gex awm him 
at-to myens; whot wantsto wimeh? Awm info rmt, 
sed I, at yo wantn a bandyhewit, an awve a tip top un 
imeh arms heer, as onny i'lnglonshoyer. That's a 
great breed, sed he ; but prithie lets hondle hur abit, 
for ivi toucht hur aw con tell whether hoos reet bred 
or no'. 

M. Odd, boh that wur a meety fawse owd felly 
too. 

T. Sflesh Mearv, aw think imeh heart at heer th' 
biggist rascot on um o\ Boh I leet him hondle hur, 
an heer so seeiy, an his bonds w r ackertn so desprately 
at he cudno stick to hur, an hoo leep deawn. " Neaw 
fort/' thought I ; " Nip cock the tail an show thesel •" 
boh istid o' that, hoo seet op a yeawl, clapt th' tail 
between hur legs, an crope into a hoyle i'th horse- 
stone. 

M. Fye on hur; awst habin as mad at hur as a 
pottert wasp. 



32 TUMMUS AMD MEARY. 

T. Whau, awr as mad as teaw cudbe, at hood 
shawmt hursel so wofully; heawe'er aw sed to tli' 
owd mon^ munni tak hur agen ? for yoan find lioos 
no foo-goad ov a bitch ? No we, no we, sed he ; aw 
feel hoos as fat as a snig, an as smoot as a mowde- 
warp ; an aw find hoos as plain as a pike staff ; an 
beh hur lennock yers, at hoos reet bred : an awd had 
hur in hood cost men a moidor, but at a trend has 
sent meh one eawt o^ Yorshor, an aw need no moor, 
boh awl swap withe it into will ? Nowe, sed I, awll 
swap none ; for awl oather hav a ginney for hur or 
hoost never gooa while meh yed stons o* meh shilders. 
Then aw con chaffer noan withe, sed he. Boh hasto 
bin at yon fine biggin anent us ? Eigh, sed I, boh 
hees enoo on um. Well, boh they'r as scant neaw 
as ewer they wurn i'this ward, sed he, an theer's one 
Muslin, \ } Ratchda ats a meety lover on um. Whau, 
sed I, awst go see. An neaw, Meary, aw begunt 
mistrust at team may in a foo on meh. 

M. The firrups tak um; buh tey neer wurn 
belike. 

T. Whau, boh howd te tung abit an theawst yer, 
for aw thowt awd try this tother felly, an iv heer 
gettn fittud too, awd try no moor, for then it wud be as 
plain as Blacksunedge at team mayin an arron gawby 
on meh. So aw went to Uatchda, an sperrd tis mon 
eawt, I fund him at back oth shopwort, wi a little 
dhog at side on him. Thowt I, to mehseln, I wud 
teawr choakt ; this felly'l beh fittut too. Well, sed 
he, honist mon, whot dunyo plyest hav ? I want nowt 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 33 

ot yo han, sed I, for awm comnt' sell yo a bandyhewit. 
Neaw, Meary, tins rascot, as well as th' rest, roost 
meli bitch to th' varra welkin, but' at tat time, he 
didno want one. 

M. Eh, dear me Tummus ! aw deawt team mayin 
a parfit neatril on yo. 

T. A neatril ? eigh, th' big'st at ewer wur made 
sin Cain kilt Abel. An neaw aw'r so strackt woode, 
l'r arronly moydert an cudha fund imeh heart to 
jowd o'ther sows together. Awr no soyner areawt 
boh a thryev o' rabblement wurn watchin^ on meh at 
dur. One on um sed, " this is him •" another, " hees 
heer ;" an one bastertly gullion asht meh iv id sowd 
meh bandyhewit. By th' miss Meary, awr so angert 
at tat, at aw up wi' meh gripp'n nave, an hit him 
a good wherrit oth yer, an then, wi meh hough, punst 
him into th' riggot, an ill grimt an deet tV lad wur 
forshure. Then they o' seetn agen meh, an afore id 
gone a rood th' lad mother coom an crope sawfly 
be-ind meh, an' geet meh byth' hure, an deawn coom 
Nip an me ith gutter, an hoo at top on us. While 
th' tussle lastud hur lad (an th' basturts at took'n 
his part) keptn grinin an deetin meh wi sink durt, at 
aw thought meh een wudn newer ha dun good agen, 
for aw moot as weel habin o'er th' yed in a middin's 
pruce, or at tayin o'two eawls. 

M. Eh, well a day ! Whot abunanze o' misfor- 
tins yo hadn. 

T. Eigh, for iv owd Nick had owt meh a spite, he 
paid meh whom, wi use : for while th' skirmidge 



34 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

lastnd, o'tk teawn wnr cluttert abeawt us; aw shawm t 
as iv awd stown sumnmt ; an scampurt away wi a 
neigh imeli yer, an op th' broo intotlr' church yort. 
Theer awd a mind t'see iv onny boddy follud meh, an 
whot te dule dnst think, bon awd lost Nip. 

M. Whot senneb? 

T. Its true, Meary; so aw code, an aw wbewtud 
bob no Nip wurt beb fand bee nor lowe, an for o' aw 
knew meh raeaster seet sitcb store on bnr becose o ? 
fotcbin^ th' byess an sheep, aw dnrst as tite ba taen 
a bear by tb' tootb as to awst seecb bnr i'th' teawn. 
So aw took eendway, for it war welly neet, an awd 
bad noatber bit nor sope, nor cnp o'sneeze ov o* tbat 
day. 

M. Why yoadn beb as gaunt as a grewant, an 
welly famish ; t. 

T. Aw tell the Meary, awr welly moydart : then 
aw thowt meh heart wnd ba sunken int' meh shoon, 
for it feld as heavy as a mnstert bo, an aw stank so, 
it mayd meh as wangish as owt, an awd two or three 
wetnr-tawns : beside o this, meh bally wartcht, an 
i'this fettle aw mnnt daddle whom an faze meh 
measter. 

M. Eh deer ! "Whot on a kynd ov a beawt hadn 
yo wi him ? 

T. Whan awst tell the moor o'that in neaw, boh 
th' fost theaw mnn know at awr gooin toart whom 
as deawn-hearted an mallancholy as a methody at 
thinks hes in-pig o' owd Harry, a mon oertook meh, 
at wur ridin' o' tit-back, an lvedin another. Thinks 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 35 

awt' mehsel, this is some Yorkshur hawse-jockey, aw 
wud heed lemmi ride ; for theaw mim know awr wofo 
weak an waugish. This thought had hardly glented 
through meh nob before at th' felley sed, a come 
honisty, theaw looks as ivto wur ill toyart, theawst 
ride a bit ivto will." " That's whot eh want, sed I, iv 
yo plyesn, for awm welly done/' So loothe Meary, aw 
geet on, an aw thought aw neer rid yezzier sin eh cud 
get humpstridden o' tit-back. 

M. A good deed Tummus : that wur no ill felly ; 
yoadn ha no ill luck at tis beawt, i'Goddil. 

T. Eh, Meary ! theaws een gext rank monnoy an 
monney a time, an neaw theaw misses th' bow agen ; 
for aw woud awd riddn eawr Billy hobby hawse a 
how day together istid o get tin o' this tit ; for hark, 
the meh, we hadno riddn aboon five rood but th' felly 
asht meh heaw far awr gooin' that way? Sed I, 
abeawt a mile an a hoave ; that's reel, said he, theers 
an aleheawse, just theerabeawt, aw'll ride afore, an 
theaw mun come sawfly afther, an aw'll stey forthe 
theer. So he seet off like hey-go-mad, boh aw kept 
a foot pace, for meh tit swat, an seemt as toyart as 
aw wur. Neaw, loothe Meary, afther this I hadno 
ridd'n mitch aboon hawve o'mile boh aw yerd some 
foke comin afther meh' o' gallop o' gallop as iv the 
dule had a halloday. They' dn. hardly o'erta'en meh 
boh one on um sweer by th' mass, " this is my tit, 
an awll haight too, iv owd Nick stons i'th gap." Wi 
that a lusty whither tyke pood eawt a thing like a 
piece on a bazzoon, an slappin meh oth shilders 



36 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 



weet sed, " friend, awm a cunstable, an theawrt my 
prisoner." 

" The dule ta yur friendship an yur cnnstableship 
too, sed I, whot dun yo myen mon ? whot mim I be 
a prisoner for ?" " Theaws stown that tit sed he, an 
theawst goo back wimmy afore a justice." "Aw stown 
none ont, sed I, for aw boh meet neaw gett'n on't, 
an a mon ats gallop't afore, whooa aw took fiirtlx* 
oaner gameh lyev, so whot bizniz han oather yo or th* 
justice wi mer" " Stuff, stuff, meer bolderdash, sed 
th' cunstable." Wi that aw leep off, in a great big, 
an sed, "int be yoars tak't o' to the dule, for aw 
know nowt on't nor yo noather, not I." 

M. Well acted Tummus, that wur monfully sed, 
an done too, think I, 

T. Boh husht, Meary, an theawst yer, fur u come 
come sed th' cunstable, that whiffo whaffo stuff winno 
doo for me, for gooa theaw bwoth mun un shall, 
oather be hook or crook," an wi that he pood cawt 
some eyern trinkums, at rickt like a parcel o' chens 
Weawnds ; thinks I t'mehsel, whot ar theese ? Iv 
they bin shackels awm in a rare scroap indeed ; awm 
wor off neaw thin e'er eh wur, awst be hong'd, or 
some devilment, at tis very time. For be meh troth 
Meary, I hated th' jinglin o' his thingumbobs as ill 
as iv theaw or ony mon elze had bin ringin meh 
passin bell. 

M. Good lorjus days ! its not to tell heaw crammed 
things con happen. 

T. Heawe'er aw mustert up meh curridge an sed, 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 37 



u 



hark yo measter cunstable, put up thoose things at 
rick'n so, an ivi mun gooa, aw will gooa, an quietly too." 

M. Whoo — who — whoo — who — whoo ! Why, 
Tummus, its meet neaw buzz'd into meh yed, at this 
same hawse-jockey had strown th' tit, an for fyert o' 
bein o'erta'en, geet yo t'ride it, t' save his own beakn, 
an so put Yorshar on yo o' that'n. 

T. Why aw think theaw gexes tooa yure, for he 
slipt th' rope fro abeawt his own neck, an don'd it o' 
mine, that's sartin. It made pittifo wark indeed, to 
be gardud beh two men and a cunstable back agen 
through Ratchda, wheer awd so lately lost meh bitch, 
an bin so mawkinly rowld i'th' riggot ; heawe'er theese 
cunstable foke wurn meety meeverly an modist too, 
an as mute an modist as mowdywarps, for weh geetn 
through th' teawn wi very little gloorin, an less 
pumpin an wur at th' justices heawse in a crack. 

M. Eh deer Tummus, didno a hawter run strawngly 
iyer yed ? for summut runs imine as ivtwur full o' 
ropes an pulley beawls. 

T. Why, loothe Meary, aw thought so plaugy hard, 
at aw cud sattl o ; nothin' at o' ; for sethe meh aw'r 
fyertnt o' macks o' ways. Still awd one cumfurt at 
olis popt op imeh yed, for thinks I t'mehsel, aw stown 
no hawse, not I ; an theaw knaws at truth an honisty 
gooin hont ihont, howdn one another backs primely, 
an ston'n as stiff as a gablock. 

M. True Tummus, theyr prime props at a pinch, 
that's sartin. Boh aw yammer t'yer heaw things 
turntn eawt at th J end ovo. 

4 



38 TtTMMUS AND MEARY. 

T. Theaws no peshunce Meary ; boh howdte tung, 
an theawst yer in a snift ; for theaw mun know at tis 
same cunstable wnr as preawd at he'd taen poor Turn 
prisner as iv theawd taen a hare, an had hnr i'the 
appurn meet neaw. Boh th' gobbin nere consithert 
at hangin wudno be coed good spwort by onybody 
i'ther senses, an wnr enoof fort edge a finer mon ; s 
teeth thin mine. Heawere, he knockt as bowdlv at 
the justice dnr as iv he'd ha dnngn it deawn. This 
fotcht a preawd groof felly eawt, whooa pnt us int' a 
pleck wi as mony books an pappers as a cart wud 
howd. To this mon (whooa aw soon fund eawt wnr 
th' dark) th' cunstable towd meh case; an i' truth 
Meary, awr as gawmliss as a goose, an began o' 
wackerin as iv awd stown a how draight o' hawses. 
Then this felly went eawt abit, an wihim coom th' 
justice, whooa aw glendurt at soor, an thought he 
favort owd Jone o' Dobs at theaw know olis wears a 
breawnish white wig, at hongs o' his shilders like 
ceaw tails. 

Well Mester Cunstable, sed th' Justice, whot hanyo 
brought meh neaw ? 

Why plyes yur worship, ween meet neaw ta'en a 
hawse steyler at wur mayin off with' tit as hard as he 
cud. 

Odd ! thought I t'mehsel, neaw or never, Turn, 
spyek for thesel, or theawrt throttlet at tis very 
beawt. So aw speek op, an sed, " That's no true, 
Mr. Justice, for awr boh gooin foots pace." 

Umph ! sed th' Justice, there's no' mitch difference 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 39 

as to that poynt. Heaweer, howdtee the tung yung 
mon, an speake when theawrt spokken too. Well ! 
theaw mon i'th breawn cwot theaw, sed th' Justice, 
whot has theaw to say agen this felley ? Is this tit 
thy tit, sesto ? 

It is, Ser. 

Heer dark, bring that book an let's swear him. 

Th' clark brought th' book, an th' Justice sed a 
nomony to th' felley ; an towd him he munt tey care 
o' whot he sed, or he moot as helt be forsworn, or 
hong that yeawth theer. 

Well, an theaw ses at tis tit's thy tit, is it ? 

It is, plyes yur worship. 

An wheer had theaw him, sesto ? 

Aw bred him, Sur. 

I* whot country? 

Cown-edge, Sur. 

An when wur he stown, sesto ? 

Th' last day boh yusterday, obeawt three o'clock 
i'th oandurth, for eawr Yem saigh him abeawt two, 
an we mistnt him abeawt four o'clock. 

An fro Cown-edge theaw ses ? 

Yus, Sur. 

Then th' Justice turnt him to me an sed, Is o' this 
true at this mon ses, yerstomeh ? 

It is, sed I, th' part on't, an th' part ont isno ; for 
aw didno steal this tit ; nor ist aboon two heawrs sin 
th' furst time at aw brad meh een on him. 

Heaw coom theawt' beh ridin away wi' him then, 
iv theaw didno steal him ? 



40 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

Why Fgood deed, sur, as aw'r gooin toart whom 
to-day a felley wi a little reawnd hat, an a scrunt wig, 
ih > cullur o' yoars welly, boh shorter, overtook meh : 
he'er ridin o' one tit an lad another ; an seein mayhap 
at aw J r toyart, becose aw went wigglety wagglety i'th 
lone, he offert meh his lad-tit to ride on. Awr fain 
ot'h proffer, beleemy, an geet on, boh he rode off whip 
an spur, tho' he cud hardly mey his tit ceawnter, an 
he sed heed stop for me at an ale-heawse i'th road 
side. Neaw, Measter Justice, awd no gone three 
quarters ov a mile boh theese foke o'ertaen meh ; 
towdnmeh awd stown th' tit, an neaw han brought 
meh hither as iv awr a Yorshur horse-stealer. And 
this is o' true, Mester Justice, or may I ne'er goot 
t' an ill pleck wheni dee. 

M. Primely spokken i } faith, Tummus. Yo meet 
shadn wrynot, i'tellin that tale, think 1; boh whot 
sed th' Justice then? 

T. Whau, he sed, yerstomeh agen, theaw yungster. 
Tell meh wheer theaw wur yesterday, specially i'th 
oandurth, wilto ? 

Whau, sedi, aw seet eawt fro whom soon i'th 
yeandurth wia keaw ana kawvc for Ratchda : meh 
kawve wur killt i'th lone wia tit coackm as eh coom ; 
an i'th oandurth aw'r o' up an deawn i'this neybur- 
hood, dooin meh best t'sell meh bitch at foke coadn 
a bandyhewit, t'see ivi cud may th/ kawve money op 
for meh measter ; boh waes me, e'ery body wur gett'n 
fittud wi em; so aw ; kest i'th dark an fworst to stop 
at Littleboro' o' neet. 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 41 

An weer hasto bin to-day ? sed th' Justice. 

Whau, sedi, aw maundert op an deawn heerabeawt 
agen o'th same sleeveliss arnt; an as aw's gooin whom 
aw leet o' tbis felley at aw took for a horse-jockey, an 
so wur tean op be theese foke for a tit steyler. 

Bob bark themeh, tbeaw prisoner, sed th' justice, 
wurno tbeaw heer yusterday witbe dhog pritbe ? 

Aw wur, Sur, bob yodn no' buoy hur, for yor'n 
fittud too. 

Whot time o'th day moot it be thinksto ? 

Between tbree an four o'clock, sed I. 

Beleemy mon, aw think theawrt oather " gryev or 
gryev-by," sed he ; heer yo mester cunstable, follow 
me. 

Neaw, Meary, wot dust think? boh while theese 
two warn eawt abit, that teastril ; that tyke ov a dark 
coad meh aside, an proffert bring meh clear off for 
hawve a ginney. Sed I, mon iv aw knew a£ a hawter 
munt may meh neck as lung as a gonnerneck tomorn, 
aw cudno raise hawve a ginney ; for hongd or nohongd 
I hanno one huwpenny t'save meh neck wi. Boh, 
sed he, wilt gr'the note fort ? Awll gi no notes not 
I, for awd as good t'beh hongd for this job as steyle, 
an be hongd for that : an aw no other way to raise it 
boh steylin, at I know on. 

M. Good Lord o' marcy ! moor rogues an moor ! 
Neaw, aught-opo o' sitch teastrils, for ever an a day 
lunger, say I. 

T. Husht ! husht ! Meary ! for neaw th' justice an 
th' cunstable coomn in. 

4§ 



42 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 



M. Eh law ! aw'll be hongd mehseln iv eh dunna 
dither for fear. Boh goo forrud Tummus. 

T. Whau, th' justice, after rabbin his broo, an 
droyin his face deawn, sed, here yo measter constable, 
an yo felley at owns tis tit, aw mun tell yo at yore 
bwoth i'th wrang box, an han gettn th' wrang soo 
byth' ear ; for this yungster heer cudno steyle this tit 
th' last oandnrth, for between three an four o^ clock 
yusterday aw seed him heer mehsel ; an yo sen this 
tit wur stown off Cown-edge abeawt that time. Neaw 
he cudno be i J two plecks at one time, yo known; so 
yersto meh yung mon, aw mun quit thee asto this 
job, so gothe way whom, and be honist. 

Aw will, sed I, an thanks, Mester Justice, for yoan 
pood truth eawt ov a durty pleck at lung-length. So 
aw made him a low bow, an a great scroap wi meh 
shoogh, an coom meh way. 

M. Bravely comn off, Turn; aye, an merrily too, 
aw'll uphoudte. Neaw een God bless aw honist jus- 
tices, say T. 

T. Aye, aye, an so say I too ; for awd good luck 
at th J heel-ovo, or Turn hadno bin heer to ha towdte 
this tale. Boh yet, Meary, aw think imeh heart at 
teers meawse neezes amung sum on um, as weel as 
amung other foke, or why shud tis same dark o' his, 
when he thought aw'r innocent, proffert' bring meh 
off for hawve a ginney ? Hadno that a strung savor 
o' fair chettin, nay deawn reet nippin' o ; poor foke? 
An dus teaw think at tees j ustices dunno' know when 
thoose tikes playn a hundert wur tricks than this in 
a yer? Beside, Meary, aw yerd that fawse felley, 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 43 

Dick o' Yems, o' owd Harry's, say at he knew some 
on em at wentn snips wi thees catterpillars, theer 
clarks ; an iv so, shudnno they beh hugged o'th same 
back, and scntcht with same rod as ther clarks? 
Yerstomeh ? 

M. Nawe, nawe, not tey marry ! for iv sitch things 
mnnt beh done greadly, an aste oughtn to beh dun, 
th' bigger rascot shudha th' bigger smacks an moor 
onem yo known, Tummns. Boh great foke oft dnn 
whottewin wi littleuns, reet or rank ; whot cam they ? 
So let's lyev sitch to mend when they con hit ont ; an 
neaw tell meh heaw yo wentn on wi yor mester. 

T. Eigh by the miss, Meary ; I'd fryetn that. 
Why theaw mun know, isitch o' case as tat awd no 
skuse to may ; so aw towd him heaw th' kawve war 
kilt i'th lone, an at awd sowd th' hoyde for throtteen 
pence ; an then aw end tell him no moor, for he nipt 
op th' deashon at stood o'th harstone, an whirlt it at 
meh ; boh istid o' hittin meh, it hit th' ryem mug at 
stoode o'th hob, an keyvt o' ryem intoth foyer. Then 
th' battril coom, an whether it lawmt th' barn at wnr 
i'th keythnr I knaw no', for aw left it roorin an bellin ; 
an as awr scamperin away eawer Seroh asht meh 
wheer i'wnd gooa ; aw towd hnr at Nicko o'th farmer 
great leath wnrth next, an awd goo thither. 

M, Ov o' spots i'th ward theer woudno I ha enmn 
far a yepsintle o' ginnies. 

T. Aw geawse theaw myens becose foke sen bog- 
garts olis hanntud it ; boh theaw knows, awr wickitly 
knoct op, an fworse is medan for a mad dhog, as aw 
towdte afore. 



41 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 



M. It matters no ; it wud never ha sunkn into me 
t' harbort theer. 

T. Well boh aw went, an just as awr gettn toth' 
leath dur, whooa shudeh meet boh Yed, their new 
mon. 

M. That leet weel ; for Yed's as greadly a lad as 
needs t'knep th' hem ov a cake. 

T. True; so aw towd him meh case ; i'short, an 
soory he lookt too. Aw wish idurst let-te lie wimeh, 
sed he, boh as aw boh coom to wun heer this day 
sennit, aw darno venter. But awll show the a prime 
mough o' hay, an theaw may doo meeterly frowt aw 
know. Thattle doo, sed I, show it meh, for awm 
stark an ill dun. So while heer showin it meh wi a 
scoance, he sed, aw summut tell the Turn, boh awm 
loath. Theaw myens abeawt th' boggarts, sed I, boh 
awm likt' venter. Theaws meet hit it, sed he ; an 
aw con tell the, aw cud like meh pleek primely boh 
for that. Heaweer as th' tits mun eawt very arly, 
aw mun provom um abeawt one o' clock, an awll coe 
t'see heaw theaw gwos on. Sblid, sed I, if theaw 
mun eawt so arly, awll fother an provon th' tits 
forthe, an theaw may sleep iftle lay th' provon reddy. 
That awll doo, an thank the too, sed Yed. Then he 
showd meh heaw th' mough wur cut wia bay-knife th' 
hawve way deawn, like a great step ; an at aw moot 
come off yezzily o' that side ; so weh biddn th' tone 
tother good neet. Awr boh meet sattlt, when iyerd 
summut i'th leath. Good lorgus, Meary ! meh flesh 
crept o'meh bwons, an meh yers cracknt agen wi J 
harknin. Presently aw yerd sumbody coe sawfly. 



TUMMUS AND MEAltY. 45 

"Tummus ! Tummus \" Aw knew th' voyce, an sed, 
whoos-tat ! tee Seroh ? Eigh, sed hoo, an aw stown 
a loyte wetur porritch, an sum thrutchins, an a trecle 
butter-eake iv yo con eyght um. Fear meh not, sed 
I, for awm as hongry as a rottn. Whau, miteh 
goodeet o' wi um, sed ho, an yo may come an begin, 
for they needn no keelin. Neaw awr isitch a flunter 
igettin toth' meat, at awd fryetn th' spot at Yed towd 
meh on; so aw feel deawn off th ; heest side o'th 
mough, an sitch a noose o'hay follud meh, at it drove 
me shoyer deaAvn, an Seroh, with ' meat in hur hont 
a top o' meh, an quite hilld us bwoth. 

M. Cots fish ! that wur a nice trick, o'th bukth ont. 

T. Eigh, sot wur ; boh it leet weel at th' porritch 
wurno scoadin ; for when wedn made shift to hey ve 
an creep fro unther, sum o'th porritch aw fund had 
dawbt op tone o'meh neen ; th/ thrutchins wurn shed 
o'th waist bant o'meh breeches, an th' trecle butter 
cake stickt to Seroh brat. Heaweer, wi scrawmin 
abeawt, weh geetn op whot weh cudn, an aw eet it 
snap ; for, beleeme, Meary, awr so keen bitn, aw 
made no bawks at a hay seed. So while awr bizzy 
cadgin meh wheme, ho towd meh hoo lippnt hur 
feythur wur turnt stracklin, an iv aw went whom ogen 
awst beh i'dawnger o' bein breant ; at meh dame wud 
ha meht run, for aw shudbeh loce at Eeersun-een, an 
it mattert no mitch. Aw thought this wur good 
ceawnsil, so aw axt Seroh t' fotch meh meh tother 
sark; hoo did so, an aw thankt hur; bid hur fare- 
weel, an so we parted. Aw soon sattlt mehseln i'th 
mough unther a noose o' hay, an slept so weel, at 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 






wheni wacknt, awr fyert at i'd oer slept mehsein, an 
cudno provon th' tits itime. 

M. It wur weel for yo at yo cudn sleep at o', for 
awst neer ha laid meh een together awm shure. 

T. Whau, boh aw startud op to goo toth' tits, an 
slurr'd deawn th' lower part o'th mough, an bi-the 
maskins, whot dusto think, boh aw leet humpstriddn 
summut at feld meety hury ; an it startnd op wimeh 
on it back; deawnth th' lower part o'th hay-mough 
it jumpt, crosst th' leath, eawt o'th dur wimeh it 
took, an intoth' weaterin poo, as iv th' verra dule 
had driven it ; an theer it threw meh in, or elze aw 
feel off, aw conno tell whether for th' life on meh. 

M. Whoo — o; whoo — o; whoo; whot i'th name 
o' marcy winyo say ? 

T. Say? Why aw say true as th' Gospil; awr so 
fryetnt, aVr war set to get eawt (if possible) thin 
iwur when Nip an me feln off th- bridge. 

M. Aw never yerd sitch tales sin meh name wur 
Mall, nor no mon elze, think I. 

T. Tales ! — Odds bud ; tak um o'tgether, an theydn 
welly may a mont' ston o'th. wrang eend. 

M. Well boh, wur it owd Nick ? thinkn yo, or it 
wurno ? 

T. Aw hate tawk obeawt it; wilt howd te tung; 
iv it wurno owd Nick, he wur th' ortherer ont, to beh 
shure. 

M. Why, Tummus, preyo, whot wur it ? 

T. Bless meh, Meary, theawrt so yearnstful, at 
teawll nolet meh tell meh tale. Why aw didno know 
mehsel whot it wur ov an heawer afther ; iv iknow yet. 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 47 

M. Well boh heaw wentn yo on then ? 

T. Whau, wi mitch powlerin aw geet eawt o'th 
poo, an behmeh troth, lieve meh asto list, aw cudno 
tell whether awr in a sleawm or wakn till eh gropt 
at meh een. An as awr resolvt to goo no moor 
intoth^ leath aw crope under a wongh, an stoode like 
a gawmblin or a par fit neatril till welly day, an just 
then, Ned coom. 

M. That wur passin weel consitherin th' case at 
yoarn in. 

T. True, lass ; for aw think awr never fainer t'see 
nobody sin awr kersunt. 

M. Whot sed Yed ? 

T. Whau, he heeve op his honds ; an he blest ; an 
he prayd ; an made sitch marlooks, at iv Fd no bin 
i'that wofo pickle awst ha brosen wi leawin. Then 
he asht meh heaw aw coomt beh so weet ? an why 
istoode teer ? an sitch like. Aw towd him aw cud gi 
no acceawnt o' mehsel boh at awr carrid eawt o'th 
leath beh owd Nick, as aw thought. 

M. Awd olis a notion whot it wud proov i'th heel 
ov o\ 

T, Prithe howd te tung a bit — theaw puts meh 
eawt. Aw towd him aw thought it wur owd Nick, for 
it wur vast strung, very hury, an meety swift. 

M. Eh, whot a great marcy it is, at yoar wheer yo 
ar Tummus. 

T. Eigh, Meary, so 'tis ; for it's moor nor I ex- 
pectud; boh theawst yer. Yed wur so flayd with 
bit at aw towd him, at he geet meh bith' hont, an 



48 



sed, come, Tummus, let's flit fro this pleck; for my 
part awll no stay one minnit lenger. Sed I, intle 
fotch meh sark eawt o'th leath awll goo withe. Nay, 
sed he, that awll never doo while my name's Yed. 
Whau, sid I, then awm liket gooa beawt it. Dunno 
trubble the nob obeawt tat ; aw two a'whom, an awll 
githe th' tone ; come, let's beh off, sed he. So weern 
marchin away, boh afore weedn gone five rood, aw 
seed summut, an seet op a greyt reeok (for aw thought 
awd seen owd Nick agen). Lord bless us, says Yed, 
what arto breed wi neaw, Tummus? Aw poyntud 
th' finger, an sed, isno tat te dule ? Which, sed he ? 
That under the hedge, sed I ? Nawe, nawe, no it ; 
that's eawer yung cowt at lies heawt, sed Yed. Th' 
dickons it is, sed I ; boh aw think imeh heart at tat 
carrid eawt o'th leath. Then Yed axt meh iv th' dur 
wur oppn ? Aw towd him aw thought it wur. Boh 
awm shure aw toynt it, sed Yed. That moot be, sed 
I, for afther theaw laft meh eawer Seroh browt meh 
meh supper, an hoo moot lyev it oppn. By th' miss, 
sed Yed, iv so Turn, this very cowt'll proov th' bog- 
gart; let's intoth' leath an see, for it's no so dark ast 
wur. Wi o' meh heart, sed I, boh let's stick toth' 
tone tother hont then. A thisn wee wentn intoth' 
leath, an bimeh truth, Meary, aw knowno whot think ; 
thur wur a yepsintle o'cowt dung opoth lower part 
o'th hay-mough, an th' pleck whear it had line, as 
plain as a pike- staff. Boh still, iv twur it at carrid 
meh, aw marvil heaw aw cud stick on so lung, it wur 
isitch a hurry to get away. 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 49 

M. Whot te firrups it signrifies nowt, for whether 
yo sticknt on or feln off, aw find at eawer owd Nick 
wur tb/ cowt at lies reawt. 

T. Whan, aw conno say a dyel abeawt it ; it looks 
likely as teaw says. Boh iv this worno a boggart aw 
think thur never wur noan, iv teydn bin reetly siftnd 
intoo. 

M. Marry, awm mitch iyoare mind neaw. Boh 
hark yo ! didn yo leet oynr sark ? 

T. Eigh, eigh ; I haight imeh pockit sithe ; for it's 
boh meet neaw ot itook meh lyev o' Yed, an neaw 
theaw sees awm runnm* meh cnntry. 

M. An whot dunyo thinkt' doo ? 

T. Aw think awst be an osier, for aw con mexn, 
keem, an fettle tits as weel as onny one on urn o' ; 
tho theaw may think awm gawstrin, 

M. Nay, aw con believe o\ Boh, eh law ! whot a 
cank han wee had ! aw mnnna eemt' stay onny lunger. 
God be wi yo ! for aw mun away. 

T. Howd — nay, Meary — lemmi ha one smeawtch 
at partin, for theawrt noan sitch a feaw mean noather. 

M . Nay — heaw — so — Tummus ; goo theaw an 
smeawtch Seroh o* Rutchot's iv yo bin so kipper. 

T. Why neaw — heaw spitefo theaw art. Whot iv 
a body doo like Seroh ; theers nobody boh the likn 
sumbody. 

M. Eigh, true, Tummus ; boh then sumbody likes 
sumbody elze. 

T. Aw geawse whot-te myens ; for theawrt glentin 
at tat flopper-meawtht gob-slotch, Bill o* owd Katty's, 

5 



50 TUMMUS AND MEARY. 

becose at foke sen Seroh hankers afther him; aw 
marvil whot-te dnle hoo con see ihim ; awm mad at 
hur. 

M. Like enoof ; for its a feaw life to luv thoose at 
lnvn other foke. Boh yoar a ninnyhommer teheed 
hur ; for theers noan sitch farrantly tawk obeawt hur. 

T. Why whot dun the say ? 

M . Aw menno tell, — beside yoadn haply tay't 
noan so weel iv a body shud. 

T. Whau, au conno beh angurt at-tee chuz whot- 
toses, as lung asto boh harms afther other foke. 

M. Why then they sen at hoos a mawkinly, dagg'd- 
skirtud, wanton wean — an — an — 

T. An whot, Meary ? speyk eawt. 

M. Why, to be plain wi yo, they sen at hur moother 
catcht Bill o' owd Katty's an Seroh^together, th' last 
Sunday mornin^ . 

T. Eh, the div — (good Lord bless us) is tat true? 

M. True ? heaw shud it be other- ways ? for hur 
mother wur cryin an soughin to meh dame th' last 
Munday yeandurth obeawt it. 

T. Sflesk, Meary ! aw fit cruttle deawn intotlr' 
yerth ; awd leefer ha taen forty eawls. 

M. Why lookit neaw ; awm een soory fort ; Lord 
help it; will it topple o'er? Munni howd it yed, 
while heart brasts a bit ? 

T. Eh, Meary ! theaw little gawms heaw it thrutches 
meh plucks ; for iv t'did, theawd no may a hobbil on 
meh. 

M, Neaw, imeh good troth, aw con hardly howd 



TUMMUS AND MEARY. 51 

meh unlaight, t'see heaw fast yo ar i'luv's clutches. 
Boh aw thought awd try yo. 

T. Meary ! whot dusto myen. 

M. Why, aw towd a parcil a' thumpin lies o'purpus 
t' pump o\ 

T. The dickons taythe, Meary ! — Whot an awkert 
wean art-teaw ! Whot th' pleague didt flay meh a 
thisn for ? Thearwt a weant lass — awd leefer ha gon 
an arnt forty mile. 

M. Eigh, a huntert, reyther thin ha had it ha bin 
true ; boh aw thought awd try yo. 

T. Well ! an iv aw dunno try thee, titter or latter, 
ittle be a marvil. 

M. It's a greyt marcy yo conno doo it neaw for 
cruttlin deawn. Boh aw mun away, for iv meh dame 
be comn whom ther'll be rickin'. Well ! think on 
at yoadn reyther ha taen forty eawls. 

T. Awst think on at teaw looks a bit whiskey, chuz 
whot Seroh o' Butchot's dus. 

M. Aw yerd um say at gexins akin to lyin ; an at 
proof o'th puddings i'th eatin. So fare the weel, 
Tummus. 

T. Meary. Farethe weel heartily; an gimeh luv 
to Seroh, let leet heawt will. 

M. Winyo forgimeh then ? 

T. By th* miss willi, Meary, froth bottom o' meh 
crop. 



52 



THE BLACK-BIRD. 

A POEM. 



&ije IBetitcation. 

To the most High and Mighty 

STERN-VISAG'D PLUTO, 

PBINCE of Stygian Dabkness, chief Engineer of Noctttenae 

Thtjndee, and G-eneealissimo of all the departed Ghosts 

in the Infernal Regions, Sfc. Sfc. Sfc. 



Sulphureous and dread Prince ! 

I am very sensible 'tis the highest presumption in 
me imaginable to address the following poem to your 
grisly Majesty, but I humbly conceive I have not 
done it without strong inducements ; for where could 
the Whiffling Ouzel have found an asylum, to screen 
her from the British Minos (her austere and impla- 
cable enemy), but in your swarthy dominions? tho' 
at the same time she flies to you for protection, she's 
possessed with an ominous fear, and when her adver- 
sary makes his exit out of these terrestrial regions, 
you'll immediately degrade u^Eacus, advance him to 
the bench, and assign to his profound and equitable 



THE BLACKBIRD. 53 

care all the European provinces ; or at least consti- 
tute him itinerant judge in your shady jurisdictions. 

But to leave this to your profound wisdom, I must 
presume to tell you, most awful Monarch ! that 'tis 
my humble opinion, that every carping Momus, and 
snarling critic, will acquiesce with me in my second 
motive for electing you my advocate, since 'tis the 
D — 1 of a poem, on a black subject, written by a 
Collier, in an obscure style, and therefore none so 
proper for its patron paramont, as your gloomy 
Majesty. 

Another reason is, because I don't remember that 
any of the ancient or modern higlers in rhime ever 
dedicated any of their productions to your dusky 
godship : tho' they have not failed to celebrate your 
tremendous name, extol your supreme power, and (if 
I may so speak) have given us the cosmography of 
our ample dominions. 

While you are thus slighted, there are not wanting 
those who are busy making puny gods and goddesses 
of mere terrestrial lump ; and the press has given 
us a modern proof of a thresher, who has thrown 
down his unwieldy flail, and taken up the pliant nim- 
ble pen, to make one, who has lately pass'd thro' your 
sooty territories, as powerful, and more indulgent to 
us, than the Goddess Cyble was to the ancients. 

Since the clumsy flail has presumed to address a 
Terrene Queen, accept, great Prince of Darkness ! of 
the first fruits of the swift-paced shuttle ; which was 
a scion that blossom'd, and whose fruit came to 

5§ 




THE BLACKBIRD. 



Maturity this keen benuming storm, when looms 
were more terrible to cringing thin-belly' d weavers 
than ever the pillory was to those obsequious and 
loyal subjects of yours, Pryn and Bastick. 

And now methinks I have almost beaten that 
modish, and much-frequented path of dedication 
enough; tho' I neither have, nor can condescend to 
that nauseous and servile flattery which is so redun- 
dant in addresses of this kind : and I hope you'll 
not reject the patronage ; if I could have found a 
more powerful protector than your great self, you had 
never heard of the Wliistling- Ouzel. Neither would 
I have you think that 1 have play'd the timid Indian, 
and offered the Black-Bird to your Gastliness as a 
propitiation for some enormous crime committed 
against your Majesty; no, 'twas not this, but your 
ability to defend, that prompted me, and entirely 
banished that modesty, which otherwise would never 
have permitted me to have sent the Black-Bird, on 
her well balanced sable pinions, to your Sootyness for 
protection : the which I hope you'll grant her ; and 
that you'll permit her to flutter at your feet, and 
perch, and nestle about your awful throne. If your 
dreadful Majesty will do this, Sir Minos may do that 
which he would not suffer her to do, i. e. go Whistle. 
I am, 

Tremendous Sir, 

Now, and ever will be, 

Timothy Bobbin. 

From the Chimney- Corner, 
Jan. 15th, 1739. 



55 



THE BLACKBIBD. 



THE INVOCATION. 

Thou who with ale or vile liquors 

Didst inspire Withers, Pryn, and Vicars. 

And force them, tho' it was in spite 

Of Nature, and their stars, to write ; 

Assist me but this once, I implore, 

And I shall trouble thee no more. TTTrn 

When bright Apollo's flaming car had run 

The southern course, and in our climes begun 

To perfect blossoms, and the budding flowers 

To paint the fields, and form the shady bowers, 

The distant prospects all around were seen, 

To wear a curious eye -delighting green ; 

And school-boys stood, while Sloth put on the reins, 

And with cramm'd satchels sauntered in the lanes ; 

The younger sort wou'd stroll about to get 

The daisy, primrose, and the violet ; 

While Tom and Will, with eager eyes wou'd view 

Each bush, and tree, from whence a linnet flew, 

And every hedge did pry into, to find 

The downy structure of the feathered kind. 

Such were the days when Minos would be drest 
To look more awful on a Day of Rest ; 
His sapient head he deckt in perriwig 
Of three-tails dangling, to look quorum big ; 
His beaver cock'd, plain-dealing- wise, he pull'd 



56 



THE BLACKBIRD. 



So low, his forehead in it seem'd involved, 
But this was done, his visage more to grace, 
And coup'd a third part from his pouting face ; 
Being cloaked and booted, they who knew him not 
Thought Hud i bras o'er gloomy Styx had got ; 
And as that Knight, so he'd a squire to wait, 
Whene'er he sally' d forth thro' creaking gate. 
This for his outward man ; but I must strain 
For to dissect his wonder-working brain ; 
Unless I can get Cibber's fawning muse, 
To bathe my skull in crowning laurel-juice ; 
But since I've ventur'd the out-side to scan, 
I'll slightly touch upon his inward-man. 
(But know, my angry Muse reflects not on 
This tinckling cymbal for its jarring tone, 
But for affecting those celestial airs, 
By which the organ charms the list'ning ears) . 

If speech be the true index of the mind, 
And doth denote with what the head is lin'd, 
We may conclude, that since his speech is clipp'd, 
His moving garret is bat half-equipp'd : 
But lest a pun won't please the would-be-wise, 
His wits want ballast, and his judgment eyes : 
For Nature made him without care, or art, 
And left unfinished much the better part; 
Or else in forming, tir'd with too much pain, 
She nodded o'er him, and so spoil'd his brain. 

If any wonder why as Judge he 's placed, 
Or how the Bench conies with his Worship graced 
That thought 's submerg'd in this, to think that we 



THE BLACKBIRD. 57 

Are sway'd by fools, much greater knaves than he 

We grant, he seems a genuine chip of those 

Convention-wits, who lead us by the nose ; 

'Tis true, we go like Bruin to the stake, 

Who knows his task, and fain his bonds wou'd break, 

But forced on, he shakes his shaggy fur, 

And looks with fury on each bridl'd cur ; 

1 Craftsman, the bearward doth promulgate law, 

And threatens wounds from deep Panonian jaw ; 

Asserting ne'er a collar'd-whelp doth play 

The game that's fair, but runs a thievish way ; 

And thinks with justice, in this dire contest, 

Each cur should run with fawning tail the first, 

Or, if you please, smooth-chins should rule the roast 

And hairy-ruffi'ns kicked from ev'ry post, 

Which scheme, before all others, I prefer, 

If my old grannum may be Treasurer, 

For I'm her only fav'rite, and must taste with her. 

But lest some critic thinks my Ouzel's flown, 
And from a Black-Bird, 'tis a Bearbait grown, 
I'll to his worship once again repair, 
That's going now to snuff the country air, 
After a turn or two, within the room, 
A hem breaks forth — and then he calls his groom. 
Here Jack, where 's Jack ? I'm here, his man replies ; 
Bring out my horse, and straightway John complies. 
He being gone, the Knight must see the glass, 
To fix some upright airs in oblong face ; 
His hand adorn'd with rufil'd shirt he drew 

1 Vide Gent. Mag. for Jan. 1740, p. 20. 



58 



THE BLACKBIRD. 



Unto his head, and set his wig askew ; 

Then gently stroked his manly beard, and then 

Adjusted three-tail' d peruke once again ; 

The bob before he'd often toss behind, 

As pleas' d his curious self- admiring mind ; 

He lower' d his eyebrows, made a furrow'd brow, 

Pull'd in his chin, more majesty to show : 

Pleas' d with the sight, and fist aside, the man 

Bow'd low, and this soliloquy began : 

" I'll say't thou'rt graceful ; — very graceful — and 

Thy very look will reverence command ! 

Thy dress is handsome, — very genteel : — still 

Not the least foppish if I've any skill : 

Besides, 'tis known this head can penetrate 

Into dark things, and solve each hard debate, 

Or, as the proverb says, can see as far 

Into a millstone " — here the gate did jar ; 

For John had done according to command, 

And waiting stood, with nag, and cap in hand. 

The steed was sleek, and bore a lofty crest, 
And worth a troop of Hitdibras's beast ; 
Nor ever was Don Quixotte's dapple fit, 
For speed, and beauty, to be nam'd with it ; 
So this, you'll say, was fit to bear a pack 
Of precious ware, as they, upon his back ! 
And all agree his worship's teeming full 
Of just such wit, as they bore in the skull. 
This bonny nag Sir Minos did bestride, 
And thro' the town with solemn pace did ride ; 
About ten furlongs they had pass'd, before 
The knight and squire of silence broke the door, 




THE BLACKBIRD. 59 

And then it was the Justice came t'himself, 

From contemplating on his wit and pelf; 

With lisping accent, and emphatic voice, 

(While pate and bum on thigh kept equal pose), 

He puts these queries to his cunning squire, 

And then sly John to knight rode something nigher : 

Jack, thou must tell me true what now / ask, 

Since His no wicked or ungodly task ; 

Sir, there's no doubt (says John), — then tell me pray 

What says the world that now I bear such sway ? 

Why, sir ! they speak exceeding well of you, 

As wise, and good, to king and country true. 

Thou answer' st well, and glad I am to know 

The world such thoughts so justly do bestow. 

Here, Jack, with wry mouth, turns his eyes askew, 

As he came on ; but hark thee, Jack : — tell true ; 

When I appear, don't wicked rascals quake ? 

Yes, that they do ; and like an aspen shake. 

What do they think when I'm upon the bench ? 

You knock down sin, and burning lust do quench. 

Whose judgment is't a knotty matter clears ? 

Sir, yours alone sinks twice as deep as theirs. 

Jack bites his lip, that while the knight goes on, 

Thy words are good, — I'll mend thy wages, John. 

I thank you, Sir ; — -I'm much oblig'd to you ; 

Now th' Ouzel whistles, wheet-wit wheet-wit whee'u, 

And so went on like a shrill flute, to play 

That gleesome tune, the twenty-ninth of May. 

Hold Jack, stand still, I hear a whistling noise 

Within that house : 'tis sure some atheist's voice ; 



60 THE BLACKBIRD. 

Tho' Catholics, Fve heard my father say, 

Wou'd whistle, dance, and sing, o'th' Sabbath-day; 

But who can this be ? Says John, I cannot tell, 

But man, or maid, it whistles very well. 

Some Papist ! Jack ; — In that Fgree to you ; 

Then comes the prelude wheet-wit wheet-wit whee'u. 

Both list'ned, while the tune was whistling o'er, 

The knight, more vex'd than e'er he was before, 

Turned short his horse, and, in a furious mood, 

Said, Fll commit him, — he's the serpent's brood; 

He sees me stand, and yet he whistles on 

This Sabbath-day ; was such a thing e'er known ? 

'Tis Papist-like to whistle against me, 

Or, what's the same, against his Majesty ; 

No doubt he knows I represent the king, 

And that we both are but the self- same thing. 

Sir, says the 'squire, this thing I know t'be true ; 

Now comes the nourish, wheet-wit wheet-wit whee'u, 

And so proceeds with the old tune again ; 

The knight cries out, O monst'rous and prophane ! 

Was ever antichristian impudence 

So base, to give both God and man offence ! 

'Tis most seditious ! — Jack, light off thy horse, 

And bring the rascal, else use all thy force : 

For I this moment will commit him safe, 

Where he'll not whistle, dance, or sing, or laugh. 

Scarce sooner spoke than John was in, but made 

Such queer demands, they knew not what he said. 

But, he repeats, the whistling man must go 

Before a Justice, for he'd have it so. 



THE BLACKBIRD. 61 

The man replies, " the whistler's good and true, 
" And serves me well ; but what's all this to you ? 
" He takes no bribes, he asks for naught but meat, 
" Fawns on no king, nor doth his country cheat ; 
" He's not encumber' d with perplexing cares, 
" Nor meddles with mysterious state affairs ; 
" He'll whistle on, altho' a justice stand 
" Within the room, and slight his stern command/' 

Jack, hearing this, began to smell a rat ; 
Howe'er he goes, and tells the justice flat, 
The whistler wou'd not come ; he fear'd no law, 
Or king, or justice valu'd of a straw. 
But when the knight heard this, he rav'd and tore, 
And sev'ral times thus by Astrea swore, 
I'll make him like a beacon on a hill , 
An everlasting monument of ill, 
A sad example to seditious tools, 
Of pagan knaves, and antichristian fools. 
And with these words he nimbly quit his horse, 
Raging with passion ; never fury worse ; 
And in he flies, with, where' s this prophane wretch 
That slights the law? whom I myself must fetch; 
Where is this whistling Turk? this stinking he-jew. 
And now the bird sings, wheet-wit wheet-wit whee'u, 
And then the twenty -ninth of May begun ; 
What (quoth the knight) was such a thing e'er known ? 
And puppit-like he whisks himself about, 
To see if he cou'd find the whistler out. 
The tune went bravely on, whilst he, amazed, 
Sought ev'ry corner, and about him gazed; 

6 



62 



THE BLACKBIRD. 



But still this whistler was not to be seen, 

Which fill'd the justice with tempestuous spleen ; 

He stamp' d with foot, and lift his eyes above, 

As tho' he call'd on the thunder-ruling Jove ; 

And then burst out in this emphatic strain, 

Ungodly ! wicked ! heath' nish, and prophane ! 

To break the sabbath ! whistle against heaven ! 

The king and me ! 'twill never be forgiven : 

A disaffected tune too, shameless man ; 

Notorious rogue, he's of the Jesuits' clan; 

And then once more tow'rds heaven his eyes he sent 

And saw the Black-bird in a wire cage pent, 

Most sweetly whistling the concluding strain, 

Which stunn'd the knight, as tho' with lightning slain. 

He motionless as old Lot's wife did stand, 

And still stretch' d out his sense directing hand ; 

But at the last, he wheels himself about, 

His mouth he open'd, and his thoughts flew out : 

Is this the whistler ? nay, I scarce believe, 
But both my eyes and ears do me deceive; 
I'll say't 'tis strange I surpassing strange ! a bird 
To whistle tunes ! — the like was never heard ; 
I thought it was not possible for art 
To teach birds musick ! — not the easiest part ; 
Sure this is some Italian Ouzel brought 
O'er seas, and was by wicked Jesuits taught : 
Why poz, 2 I ne'er was so deceiv'd in all 
My life before, and with a thing so small ! 
I'll say't, I took it for some Jacobite 

2 A favourite word of the knight's for positively. 



THE BLACKBIRD. 63 

That whistled thus ; but who is always right ? 

A Solomon may play some foolish tricks, 

And British Cato 3 err in politicks. 

Then beckoning finger, makes the man draw near, 

And in soft tone, thus whispers in his ear : — 

Here, honest man, I'll give thee half-a-crown, 

To promise me this thing must not be known, 

For should the wicked ever hear this thing, 

'Twou'd shame both me and our most gracious king. 

The fellow took the piece, and made a bow ; 

But, wiseman-like, in promising was slow. 

And knight perceiving that the bird was put 

In close confinement, and in limbo shut : 

Old Oliverian and phanatick zeal 

Grew cold, and did to crusted ice congeal ; 

And, calm as midnight, took his leave, but said, 

Be sure this thing be never publick made. 

Thus Minos left the Black-bird closely pent, 

And, mounting steed, on new adventures went. 

3 Walpole. 



64 



THE GOOSE. 

A POEM. 



To J— B— , Esq. 

Sir, — As I have the honour to be a member of the 
ancient and venerable Order of the Gormogons, I am 
obliged by the laws of the great Chin Quaw-Ki~Po } 
Emperor of China, to read yearly some part of the 
ancient records of that country. 

I was performing my annual task when the extra- 
ordinary piece of justice in the following poem fell 
under my perusal : the original is in prose ; but more 
reasons than one determined me to translate it into 
verse. 

Your Worship is too well known in these parts for 
any one to imagine I could long hesitate in the choice 
of a patron. 

The stupidity, peevishness, passion, and vanity of 
the Chinese justice, will undoubtedly serve as foils 
to set off and illustrate your consummate wisdom 
and prodigious virtues. 

You may believe, Sir, 'twas with this regard I dedi- 
cated the poem to you ; every true Briton, who hears 
of your justice, candour, and humanity (especially 



THE GOOSE. 65 

to strangers), must be charmed with your conduct; 
for had all Britain such justices as your Worship, we 
might sing, or say, with one accord, our country is 
finely govern' d ! 

But tho' I give you your just praises, I am afraid 
I offend your modesty. 

I am sensible that harsh sounds cannot escape the 
animadversions of critical ears : and for that reason 
have been often on the point of changing the title of 
my poem from the Goose to the Gander. But, reflect- 
ing that the geese who gave warning of the enemy's 
approach were called Sey*vatores Romce, I chose to 
retain my former title, in honour of them and such 
like industrious patriots. 

To you then, Sir, the Goose waddles for protection, 
and begs leave to assure you that the present Poet 
Laureat l shall never want a quill to celebrate your 
immortal praises. 

May your Worship live as long here as you are an 
ornament to the high station you are placed in : and 
when you remove out of this country, may you be 
preferr'd to the Chair in the other, before JEacus, 
Minos, or Rhadamanthus , which is the sincere 
wish of, 

Sir, &c. 

1 Colly Cibber. 



6§ 



66 



THE G-OOSE. 

Weary with homely food, and toils of life, 
With crying children, and a scolding wife, 
A weaver is resolved to banish sorrow, 
And live to-day, let what will come to-morrow : 
For who the tiresome loom can always bear, 
And not regale his stomach with good cheer ? 

With this intent he from his looms doth start, 
And asks his pockets if they'll take his part ? 
And fortune favours, for they answer — Yes : 
Which makes him skip, and thank his stars for this. 
Then Snnday-coat he o'er his singlet 2 puts, 
And in high spirits to the market struts ; 
Where geese and ducks and chickens feast his eyes, 
But only one fat goose poor Shuttle buys. 

And now he thinks the happy moment come, 
To triumph thro' the streets, and bear the trophy 

home. 
But who can guard against the turns of fate ? 
The wench he bought the goose of cries — a cheat ! 
From hence ensues a noisy doubtful strife, 
Such as was never heard 'twixt man and wife ; 
The gaping crowd around in parties stand ! 
But, lo ! old Granidoodle just at hand : 

2 A woollen waistcoat undyed. 



THE GOOSE. 



67 



When now their anger boils to such a pitch, 

That there was whore, and rogue, and dog, and bitch; 

But words like these a poem may debase, 

And only suit the hero of the case. 

His worship hearing, could no longer bear, 

But cries aloud — " What noythe, what noy the, 

iththere ? 
Ith it for nought that I, the mighty I, 
Do reprethent high Chinethe Majethty ? 
Or that in vain I wear the thowrd and thield ? 
My name ith, wath and will be " 

Both trembled at his voice — but first the man 
Made a respectful bow, and thus began : 
" May't please your Worship's honour and your glory, 
I will exactly tell you all the story : 
This goose I bought for twelve pence, and paid down 
In good and lawful money half-a-crown : 
But now a saucy slut my change refuses, 
Demands more coin, and gives me gross abuses." 
" What thay you, woman ; ith thith fulth or true, 
Thith fellow doth athert contharning you ?" 
" May't please your sovereign lord, the king's great 

justice, 
In whom for goose or money all my trust is ; 
I wish I ne'er may see my spouse, or house, 
If ever I received of him a souse." 

" But will you thwear thith ith the cathe ? if tho, 
He shall to Bridewell for correctheon go." 

" For God's sake hear me, Sir, the weaver cries, 
I'll swear to everything which she denies ; 



68 THE GOOSE. 

If I han't given her half- a- crown, then never 
Let warp and weft be firmly joined together." 

1 ' Wheat ! huther, thirrah ! he thwear, yon thwear too : 
If Tholomon wath here what cou'd he do ? 
The matter ith tho nith upon my troth ; 
My mind inclinth me to confine you both : 

But hold 

I'll toth a piecth of money up, thath fair. 
Whitch thall decide the person that muth thwear : 
But mark me well, the woman ith to choothe, 
Or head, or tail, like chanthe to win or loothe." 

No sooner said than done — both parties willing, 
The Justice twirls aloft a splendid shilling ; 
While she (ah ! Nature, Nature !) calls for tail, 
And pity 'tis, poor soul, that she should fail ! 
Bat chance decrees — up turn great ChinQuaw Ki-Po, 
Whose very name my belly sore doth gripe — oh — 
His worship view'd with joy the royal head, 
And thus in broken lisping accents said : 

" By thith event we very plainly find 
That juthtith will take plaith, tho' thumtimeh blind : 
And had not I by providenth been here, 
You two had fought it out, like dog and bear ; 
Here, fellow — take the book — for chanth decreethe 
You take the oath : — but pay me firtht my feethe. 
Trom peril of the law you'll then be loothe ; 
Huththe, 3 give him the chanth, and eke the goothe ; 
And thuttle, 4 for the future, let me tell ye, 
You must not pamper your ungodly belly ; 
5 Hussy. 4 Shuttle, Weaver, 



THE GOOSE. 69 

Geeth, duckth, and caponth, are for huth thage 

catothe, 5 
Be you content with thjannock and pottatothe." 

His work thus finished, passing thro' the streets, 
He tells the wond'rous tale to all he meets ; 
And hugs himself for this rare action done, 
Whilst all men stare, some laugh ; still he goes on : 

" Plain ith a pike -thstaflp 'tith, that I in pow'r, 
Do king and country thervice ev'ry hour : 
And to my utmotht do good orderth keep, 
Both when I am awake, and when I thleep, 
O two, three, four, nay, five, timth happy nathion, 
When Magithrath have toutch a penetration ! 
No trangreth now for bread thall dare to roam, 
But with their wiveth and children sthay at home : 
Ath for philosopherth, I'll make them thqeek, 
In spite of all their Latin, and their Greek, 
Newton himself thould here find no protecthion : 
And all hith pupilth thall receive correcthion ; 
They're Papith all, in different mathks, and we 
Thou'd watch, like Arguth, dangerth to forethee, 
The nathionth right on juthtieeth depend, 
And tith our duty roguth to apprehend. 

Thus withe men alwaythe act, and I thith day 
Have churcth and thstate pretherv'd, by quelling thith 
thad fray/' 

5 Oatos. 



70 



A CODICIL TO 

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT 

OP 

JAMES CLEGG, CONJUEOE. 



Be it known unto all men by these presents, That 
I James Clegg, of Broad-lane, within Castleton, in the 
Parish of Rochdale, and County of Lancaster, Conjuror; 
having made my Last Will and Testament, bearing 
date the 18th of February, 1749, do hereby codicil, 
confirm, and rectify my said Will; and if I die a 
natural death, i. e. elude the gallows, and within two 
miles of Shaw-Chapel, then I will that my Executors, 
John Collier and Paid Greenwood, come to my house 
the day following, and with the advice and assistance 
of James Worral, order my funeral, as follows : 

I. I will that they invite to my funeral sixty of 
my friends, or best acquaintance, and also five fidlers ; 
to be there exactly at two o^ clock. 

II. That no woman be invited ; no man that wears 
a white cap, or apron, that no tobacco or snuff be there^ 
to prevent my sneezing. 



JAMES CLEGG, THE CONJUROR. 71 

III. That they provide sixty-two spic'd cakes, 
value ten shillings, and twenty shillings worth of the 
best ale that is within two miles ; allowing the best 
ruby-nosespresent, Roger Taylor and John Booth, to 
be Judges. 

IV. That if my next relations think a wooden - 
jump too chargeable, then I will that my executors 
cause me to be drest in my roast-meat-cloths, lay me 
on a bier, stangs, or the like ; give all present a sprig 
of rosemary, hollies, or gorses, and a cake : that no 
tears be shed, but be merry for two hours. 

V. Then all shall drink a gill-bumper, and the 
fiddlers play Britons Strike Home, whilst they are bring- 
ing me out, and covering me. This shall be about 
five minutes before the cavalcade begins ; which shall 
move in the high road to Shaw-Chapel in the following 
order, viz. — the best fiddler of the five shall lead the 
van, the other four following after, two and two, 
playing The Conjurer goes Home, in the aforesaid tune. 
Then the bier and attendants, none riding on horse- 
back but as Hudibras did to the stockes, i. e. face to 
tail, except Mr. George Stanfield, of Sowerby (which 
privilege I allow him for reasons best known to myself) . 
Then the Curate of Shaw-Chapel shall bring up the 
rear, dressed in his pontificalibus, and riding on an ass, 
the which, if he duly and honestly perform, and also 
read the usual office, then my Executors shall nem. con, 
pay him twenty-one shillings. 



72 JAMES CLEGG, 

VI. If the singers of Shaw meet me fifty yards 
from the Chapel, and sing the anthem beginning 
clap your Hands, fyc 3 pay them five shillings. 

VII. Next, I will that I be laid near the huge 
rnins of James Woolfenden, late landlord of Shaw 
Chapel ; which done, pay the Sexton half a crown. 

XIII. Then let all go to the alehouse I most fre- 
quented, and eat, drink, and be merry, till the shot 
amounts to thirty shillings ; the fiddlers playing The 
Conjurer's gone Home, with other tunes at discretion, 
to which I leave them : and then pay the fiddlers two 
shilling and sixpence each. 

IX. If my next relations think it worth their cost 
and pains to lay a stone over me, then I will that 
John Collier, of Milnrow, cut the following epitaph 

on it : — 

Here Conjurer Clegg- beneath this stone, 
By his best friends was laid ; 
Weep, O ye fiddlers, now he's gone, 
Who lov'd the tweetling-trade ! 
Mourn, all ye brewers of good ale, 
Sellers of books and news ; 
But smile, ye jolly priests, he's pale, 
Who grudg'd your pow'r and dues. 

FURTHER, As I have some qualities and worldly 
goods not disposed of by my said last will, I do give 
and devise as follows, that is to say : I give unto the 
Rochdale-ip&vish. Methodists all my religion and books 



JAMES CLEGG. 73 

of freethinking, as believing they'll be useful and 
very necessary emollients. 

Item, I give unto any one of that whimsical sect, 
who is sure the Devil is in him, my slice of the liver 
of Tobit's fish, which my ancestors have kept pickled 
up above two thousand years ; being certain that a 
small slice fry'd will drive Belzebub himself, either 
upwards or downwards, out of the closest made 
Methodist in his Majesty's dominions. 

Item, I give unto any three of the aforesaid Me- 
thodists, who are positive that they have a church in 
their bellies, my small set of squirrel-bells to hang in 
the steeple, being apprehensive that a set of the size 
of Great Tom of Lincoln would prove detrimental 
to a fabric of such an airy and tottering foundation. 

Item, I give my forty-five minute sand-glass (on 
which is painted Old Time sleeping) unto that 
clergyman living within three miles of my house, 
who is most noted for preaching long-winded, tauto- 
logizing sermons : provided he never turn it twice at 
one heat. 

Item, I leave all my spring-traps, flying nets, and 
all my other valuable utensils whatsoever, belonging 
to that new invented and ingenious art of cuckow 
catching, unto my generous, honest, and open-hearted 
friend, Mr. Benjamin Bunghole, late of Rochdale, 

7 



74 JAMES CLEGG. 

being thoroughly satisfy' d of his good inclination, 
and great capacity for the proper use of them. 

Item, I give unto one Timothy Bobbin, wheresoever 
he may be found, a pamphlet entitled A View of the 
Lancashire Dialect ; being fully persuaded few others 
capable of reading or making any sense of it. 

Item, I give all my humility, good nature, benevo- 
lence, and hospitality, with all my other good qualities 
whatsoever, not before disposed of, unto that person 
in the parish of Rochdale who can eat the most raw 
onions without crying. 

Lastly, I will that this Codicil be, and be adjudged 
to be, part of my last said Will and Testament, as 
fully as if the same had been there inserted. 

In witness whereof 1 have hereunto fiVd my hand 
and seal, this 24th day of May, in the year 1751. 

James Clegg. 

Witness, 

Robert Lees. 
Joshua Warren. 






75 



LETTERS IN PROSE. 



A NARRATIVE OF THE CASE BETWEEN THE QUEEN 
OE THE BOOTH AND THE AUTHOR. 



To T. P., Esq. 

Jan. 30, 1752. 

By your favour of the 20th cur. I perceive you 
have heard of the furious rupture that is lately broke 
out betwixt me and a certain lady, who is sometimes 
called the Queen at the Booth, and at others the 
Yorkshire Lawyeress ; and seem fearful that it will 
be detrimental to my family and interest. I thank 
you for your tender care ; but cheer up, Sir, Fm not 
afraid of the law ; for I have a particular friend that 
will screen me from long and costly suits — I mean 
Poverty. 

You desire me to send you a full account of what 
has past between us. I shall oblige you in this, 
tho' it will be both intricate and prolix ; and as truth 
has always something of the agreeable attending it, 
I must own that I was the first aggressor : for it 
arose from that strong tincture of Quixotism that 
you know reigns predominant in me ; though if I 
was inclined to fanaticism, I should give it another 
name, and call it the spirit of reformation. 



76 THE QUEEN OF THE BOOTH 

The first time I saw her was at Dean Chapel, in 
the parish of Huthersfield, where she immediately 
took my eye, and raised my curiosity to know who 
and what she was : being (if I may so speak) the very 
gallimaufry of a woman. She was dress' d as gay 
and airy as a girl of sixteen ; the Old Age stared full 
at me thro* every wrinkle. In short, her out-of-the- 
way figure and behaviour spoiled my devotion, and 
rais'd my choler to that pitch that I could not be at 
rest till I had given her a reprimand. 

Service being over, I steppM into a little alehouse 
near the chapel, and enquir'd of the landlord who 
the Bedlamite was, who was so old and so very airy. 
He answered with a sigh: she's my own aunt, but you 
know I cannot help her dressing so awkwardly. Very 
true, says I, but will she come in here, think you ? 
I'm not certain, he reply'd, but very likely she may. 
So I sat downfor a few minutes, butMadam not appear- 
ing, I went back into the chapel-yard amongst the 
croud ; but she had given me the slip, and so escaped 
my resentment at that time. However, I left strict 
orders with her nephew (who promised me to tell her) 
to dress and behave more agreeable to her age ; or 
otherwise, if she persisted, she should hear from me 
in a more disagreeable manner. 

This past on about a month, when I chanced to see 
her again at Ripponden ; and perceiving her ladyship 
was in no humour for reforming but rather more 
jantly than ever, I took a resolution (Quixote-like) 
to write a letter to her under a feigned name ; and 



AND THE AUTHOR. 77 

t 

which, tho* I kept to matter of fact, she pleases to 
call a libel ; and by one means or other she is become 
positive I am the author : but this opinion might 
chiefly arise from my leaving the pragmatical order 
with her nephew. 

Be this as it will, it is certain that the Tuesday 
following she saddled her nag, and rode to Justice 

R for a warrant, to bring me to an account for 

that to which I was determined to plead Not Guilty. 

On her arrival there, and laying her complaint 
before the Justice, he demanded whether she would 
swear the letter on me. N — o, but His nobody else. 
Have you any evidence that will swear to this man's 
writing it ? N — o, but he was at the Black-Lion, in 
Ripponden, where the letter was first found, and the 
very night before I received it. In short, she could 
not swear positively, and consequently no warrant 
was granted. 

Things past on about a fortnight, when she received 
intelligence that I was going immediately to leave 
Yorkshire. So she resolved to pay me a visit at Mr. 
HilVs before my departure. I happened to have the 
first glent of her ladyship as she came up the court, 
with the bridle of her strong Rosinante on her arm, 
and a young woman (Phebe Dawson) attending her. 

On rapping at the door, the old gentleman went 
out, and after the usual salutations, she began — 
I'm come to see, Sir, if you'll suffer any of your 
servants to abuse me. No mistress, that I wou'd 
not do : pray, have I any that does do so ? Why, 

7§ 



78 



THE QUEEN OF THE BOOTH 



have not you a servant they call Collier ? No, that 
I have not, reply'd the old gentleman. But have 
you not some such a man about your house ? Yes ; 
he's in the house ; and I believe there is some little 
connection between my son R. and him : but I have 
nothing to do with him. Very well, Sir, then I've 
been wrong informed, and I will take it kindly if 
you'll tell him Fd fain speak with him. Yes, mistress, 
that I will do. On his telling me that a lady desired 
to speak with me, I appear' d surpriz'd, tho' I guess' d 
what she was about well enough : however I went to 
the door, and made her a complaisant bow, which 
her irritated stomach scorn'd to return. 

As to her dress, &c. I shall refer to the notes on 
Hoantung's letter : only observe that a blue riding- 
habit, hoop'd with silver lace, a jockey's cap and a 
pretty large black-silk patch on each side of her 
mouth, made her cut a most grotesque figure. 

After a full stare at each other, she ask'd me if 
my name was Collier. Yes, Madam, said I, what's 
your pleasure with me ? Why, I want to know if 
you'll stand to what you've done ? O yes, to be sure 
Madam, said I ; what is't ? Why, about this libel. 
Libel ! said I, I don't know what a libel is. I sup- 
pose you do ; and I want to know if you'll stand to 
it or not, for you writ it to be sure. Indeed, Madam, 
your speech is all ridicule to me. But as I'm very 
busy at present, if you'll go down to Ripponden, I'll 
follow as soon as I can, and there get an explanation. 
That's what I want, she reply' d, but pray tell me 




AND THE AUTHOR. 79 

house I must go to. To Carpenter's, to be 
sure, said I. And you'll follow me ? says she. O, 
don't doubt it, Madam. So away she goes, and her 
witness along with her : but I kept my distance, as 
wanting both time and inclination to follow her. 

Messrs. Hills laughed at me for being honour'd 
with this unexpected visit from the Queen of the 
Booth, and thought I had met with more than my 
match : all the gentry round being afraid to provoke 
or contradict her : and wondered that I should have 
any thing to do with her, as she would undoubtedly 
ruin me, tho' I was worth thousands. I told them 
innocence did not know what fear was, and that I 
was not apprehensive of any danger. 

This affair happen' d on Friday ; and the Sunday 
following I left the Kebroyde pretty early for my 
journey into Lancashire : and on going up to Soyland, 
to bid adieu to my friends there, I found in the 
road, behind an ash-tree, six papers, written all alike 
in a large print hand, a copy of which follows : — 

ADVERTISEMENT. 

On Friday last from Bushworth stray' d, 
Or was by Satan's Imps convey' d, 
A cliesnut mare, with prick-up ears, 
Bad eyes, teeth lost, advanc'd in years. 
Had two light colour' d feet before, 
Her mouth was patch' d, and very sore. 
A right whisk tail, and grissel mane, 
A heavy head, and body plain ; 
A filly trotting by her side, 
And both good blood as e'er was try'd. 



80 THE QUEEN OF THE BOOTH 

Who e'er can them to Pluto bring 
Their owner, that grim sooty king : 
Shall for their pains in this good job 
Eeceive Ten Pounds, of Timmy Bob. 

You cannot imagine, Sir, but that I must see the 
purport of these papers, and what they were intended 
for : so I took care to have them put up at Rippon- 
den, Ealand, Halifax, &c. on that day before noon ; 
and they causing much staring, and various surmis- 
ings in the country, some pick-thank or other 
conveyed a copy of one of them to her ladyship : 
who, on perusing it, readily fathered the brat upon 
me ; and said to the messenger, You have done me 
very great service ; for now, I never doubt, but I can 
catch the fox in his craftiness, and then I'll make 
him clear all accounts, and pay you handsomely for 
vour trouble. 

What follows is chiefly from information ; and I 
was told for fact that that evening she kilFd the 
fatted calf, as it were, and feasted some of her privy 
council, rejoicing that she had so fine a prospect of 
gratifying her spleen, and attaining the summit of 
her wishes ; and the next morning she mounted her 
gelding, and, with the young filly, set off for the Justice. 
On her arrival she found his Worship had com- 
pany ; however, being well acquainted with her, he 
came into the room where she was (which had a 
table standing in the middle) , and several gentlemen 
followed him. She then drew out the copy of the 
advertisement, and threw it on the table : on which 



AND THE AUTHOR. 81 

his Worship said, well Madam what's to do now ? 
Why, Sir, said she, you wou'd not grant me a war- 
rant before for this rascal, and now I have suffered 
a fresh abuse from him, as that paper will prove, if 
you'll please to read it. 

He takes the paper* up (the gentlemen all staring 
at the queer dress and behaviour of her ladyship) 

and reads •. 

ADVERTISEMENT. 

On Friday last from Rushivorth stray'd, 
Or was by Satan's- Imps convey' d, 
A chesnut mare, 

Why Madam have you lost a mare ? N — o, n — o, 
please to read on : — it means me, Sir. 

A chesnut mare, with prick-up ears, 
Bad eyes,*teeth lost, advanc'd in years. 
Had two light-coloured feet before, 

This cannot have any reference to you, — sure you 
have not four feet ! 

I ask your pardon for that, Sir, and beg you'll go 
on, for you'll find it means me and nobody else. 
Here the gentlemen broke out into a laugh, which 
being over the Justice went on: — 

Had two light-colour' d feet before, 
Her mouth was patch' d, and very sore. 

Here she hastily interrupting him, said, that's true ; 
and is a very good proof that he means me ; for at 
that very time I had a tetter-worm on each side my 
mouth, covered with black silk ; and he names the 
day too, Sir, which was Friday. What stronger 



■ 



82 THE QUEEN OF THE BOOTH 

evidence can be either given or desired ? Here the 
Jnstice joined the gentlemen in another merry fit ; 
and then his Worship ask'd her. And who writ and 
posted these advertisements up, do you say ? 

Why this rascal — this Collier — to be sure — 

To be sure will not do, Madam. — But did you or 
any other person see him write or put them up ? Or 
will you swear this is his hand ? 

N — o, n — o, — that is not his hand, for I have 
evidence here that they were either printed or 
writ like print ; and I can also prove that he writes 
that hand better than any in the country ; and that's 
another proof that he writ and put them up, or 
ordered others to do it, which is all one you know, 
Sir, in law. 

But will you make oath that he writ or put them 
up ? 

I durst swear he did ; but, alas ! I did not see 
him. 

Well, Madam, I perceive this man will slip us 
again ; for without a positive oath I cannot grant a 
warrant. 

Here her ladyship (with a heavy sigh) said, — If 
Justice law will not do, I must fee council (which I 
am told she actually did) . — But Fm so very uneasy 
that I cannot sleep, and I think this grand villain 
will be the end of me. 

When that happens, said one of the gentlemen, 
if you'll come hither again, we'll try him for his life 
for committing murder ; and to make him pay the 
piper with a witness. 



AND THE AUTHOR. 83 

Ah ! Sir, but this is no jesting matter, — for all's 
gone when I am gone, and that I fear will not be 
long — for I hear this same miner of my good 
name has actually got that same letter printed which 
I brought to you — and if so, it is so scandalous, that 
taking all together, it will break my heart ; and you 
know, Sir, the dark side of a good character is not 
quite spotless. 

Very true, said his Worship, but I can see no 
remedy for you in this case without good proof. 

That's what I fear I must never have, said the 
old lady, who turn'd her backside without any com- 
pliment, left the rhymes on the table, and budg'd 
off ; the whole being a pretty scene of diversion for 
those she left behind. 

Thus, Sir, I have endeavoured to satisfy your 

curiosity, hoping you'll excuse the length of the 

narrative ; and now I have only to tell you that the 

letter she mention' d to the Justice is actually printed 

(a copy of which I here enclose you, and which I 

sell for a friend). Her ladyship has sent for several, 

and always by persons she thinks most capable of 

pumping me. I always oblige her by sending them, 

but still keep innocent, and quite ignorant of its 

production, otherwise you might say — Good Lord 

have mercy upon 

Sir, 

Your most oblig'd humble Servant, 

T. B. 



84 



HOANTUNGTS LETTEE 1 TO THE EMPEESS OE EUSSIA. 



TBAFSLATED PEOM THE CHINESE (WITH EXPLANATOBY NOTES) 
BY LYCHANG THE MANDARIN". 



THE AEGUMENT. 



To scourge a publick pest, the wise of old 
Thought meritorious, tho' a bawd or scold ; 
I own this mongrel Owl-and-Crow is not 
Half worth my powder or one grain of shot ; 
Yet as no person e'er could probe her heart, 
No admonitions make her conscience start, 
Let this true mirror shew her putrid mind, 
And how her fame's to every sin inclin'd ; 
If she reform, 'tis well, — if not, I'm right ; 
To plague the plaguy, is refin'd delight! 

We Hoantung the Great, Emperor of all the Em- 
perors of the East } to our most dazzling and serene 
Sister, the Princes Eleeza, Empress of all Russia, 
send greeting. 

Whereas our wisdom, like the beams of the great 
luminary of the day, pierces into the remotest regions, 

1 The original was left, about Michaelmas, 1751, at a public- 
house in Eipponden, by a tall swarthy person in a long surtout, 
turban and whiskers, a broad scimitar hanging on a button, and 
his whole air and countenance so fierce, that none durst say, " from 
whence comest thou ?" so he walk'd off undiscover'd. 



HOANTUNG*S LETTER. 85 

and as all things transacted between the Poles are 
under our immediate cognisance, by which our Empire 
is become universal, and consequently checks the 
actions of Sovereign Princes : We do now, by our 
aforesaid power, require that you, on receipt hereof, 
forthwith retire to your sofa, and there contemplate 
how, and by what means, you attained the palace 
of your residence 2 and the Empire, 3 which you 
so haughtily govern ; — Why the Czar* your first 
husband, was so suddenly sent over the Archerontic 
lake, and by whom; — how the present Czar, your 
lawful spouse, came to be banished ; 5 — what fury 
could induce you to trouble your neighbouring king- 
doms and state, 6 with one continued scene of war, 
rapine and disorder. 

We say reflect on these things, and consider with 
what indulgence we have suffered you to rule with 
an high hand, ever since you seized the imperial 



2 The estate on which she resides. 

3 This by the soundest critics is alway taken for the Township 
of Rush worth, in the parish of Halifax. 

4 In a letter from the dusky regions, 'twas hinted she push'd 
him into old Ch aeon's boat, to whom she paid double fare to waft 
him over. 

5 Her present husband, whom she banish'd by mere dint of 
dagger : for one morning, after a hot dispute about the mushroome 
sect, the Methodists, he found that weapon on a chair by her bed side ; 
and after several expostulations (she not being able to satisfy him as 
to the use of it) he very prudently fled. 

6 Some distant as well as neighbouring townships, which she con- 
tinually vexes with litigious suits, about filiations, settlements, &c. 

8 



86 hoantung's letter to 

throne; 7 which usurpation we have wink'd at with 
impunity for the space of three hundred moons ; not 
doubting but time, the offspring of eternity, and father 
of wisdom, would have mitigated the severity of your 
reign : that the Czar would have been recalled and 
restored to the sovereignty; that all your subjects, 
from the boyar to the plebeian, might have reposed 
under their citron and pomegranate-trees, eaten their 
autumnal fruits, and enjoyed the rights and privileges 
with which the God FOHE and his handmaid, Nature, 
hath endowed them. But seeing that time works not 
the expected effects, but that you still drive the car of 
government with an outstretched arm, we are (as it 
were) constrained to send this our awful and imperial 
injunction ; requiring and commanding, and we do 
hereby enjoin and command you, without the least 
hesitation, to recall the Czar from banishment, and 
restore him to the seat of empire ; to the Boyars and 
Way woods 8 their respective powers and jurisdiction ; 
and all your other subjects and vassals to their liberties 
and privileges. That yon consider the unconstrained 
freedoms and well-known pleasures of your youth, 9 
nay even since time fix'd his plough- share in your 

7 The government of the township ; she being a kind of perpetual 
constable, overseer of the poor, highways, &e. 

8 The officers of the township aforesaid. 

9 Here is a large field for reflection ! but I hope the reader will 
excuse it, if the curtain be drawn over this part of her character, 
which may be unfolded on some other occasion, if after seeing herself 
in this glass she prove incorrigible. 



THE EMPRESS OF RUSSIA. 87 

forehead ; and be not too curious with your piercing 
optics, and officious hands, in prying into the sprightly 
pastimes and rustic amours of the softer sex within 
your dominions. 10 

Further, — We will that when you approach the 
mosques of the Gods, particularly that of Worotin, 11 
that your posture be decent ; that you observe the 
religious ceremonies, and in all respects demean 
yourself as a true worshipper of the God FOHE and 
his prophet Confucius ; that your deportment be 
grave as becomes the evening of life ; that your dress 
(especially the attire of your head and neck) 12 be 
modest and free from those youthful airs you seem to 
delight in, and which are always the unerring index of 

10 This alludes to her well-known * * * 

•JF -Jr -Jr <Jr W tP ** * 

* * • * After close examination, if she finds the 

unfortunate pregnant, she forces her to discover her paramour ; on 
whom her Highness seizes (under the sanction of a warrant) with as 
much fierceness as the eagle her prey. 

11 The chapel of Kipponden : where when she comes to shew her 
hunting dress, baubles, and Bedlamitish attire, she stands warning 
in the isle, scorning to come into a pew, because she was not suffered 
to have her " lang- settle," or old form in its place, when, on 
rebuilding the chapel, it was seated after a uniform and beautiful 
manner ; and even attempted to force an audience of the Eight 
Reverend the Bishop of Gloucester, to give this as a sufficient reason 
why the chapel ought not to be consecrated. 

12 In this she affects the most girlish airs : tho' her mouse-colour'd 
grissel hair scorns to bend, or he in ringlets, but keeps its most 
ancient posture, which is that of a sow's tail. 



88 hoantung's letter to 

a contaminated mind ; that you appear no more in 
pnblick with your locket, ear-rings, and other juve- 
nile trinkets, as you and all the world know them 
to be the wages of carnal and youthful pleasures, and 
can never make you more agreeable than a spruce 
baboon. 

Lastly. — It is our royal will and pleasure, that you 
make a full and general restitution ; allow your vas- 
sals and slaves all due and accustomed measures ; 13 
encourage honesty, and not study to pervert truth 
and justice; 14 heal all intestine divisions, extirpate 
perjury, banish false witnesses, 15 eradicate strife, cul- 

13 This our learned Mandarin confesses to be very obscure, and 
may have several constructions, but inclines to believe it hints at a 
certain antique pot, or cup, with a piece two inches deep out of its 
top ; having been long and too well known to poor taylors and 
other labouring persons. 

14 Being ever ready and studying to torment her husband (as well 
as others) she this year sent her emissary to the labour of her own 
niece, to persuade her to father her bastard child on him ; following 
immediately herself, and finding her persuasions ineffectual, she her- 
self first used smooth and flattering terms, then belch'd out deep 
imprecations to gain the point ; but finding the girl resolved to 
father it right, she sent for the constable to force or intimidate her 
to do it ; but Mother Midnight, being a woman of sense and spirit, 
told him he was out of his elements, and if he entered within her 
jurisdictions, she would try whether his scull or the tangs were 
harder metal ; so he wisely desisted. 

15 As an old lioness is attended by her jackal, so her shrivell'd 
Grimness has always in her train one Phebe Dawson or some other, 
who can swear the truth, the whole truth, and — more. 



THE EMPRESS OF RUSSIA. 89 

tivate peace, and let the dead sleep in their graves. 16 
Thus we take our leave, expecting all due obedience 
to this our royal and sacred mandate, at the direful 
peril of our tremendous indignation.— For such our 
will and pleasure. 

Given at our seraglio, in our imperial city of Twang 
Chew, this 14th day of the 999th moon of our happy 
exaltation. 

Signed, 

HOANTUNG, 



HER EPITAPH. 

Reader, stop here ! behold what death can do, 
He's torn the gew-gaws from Queen Bess's brow ; 
And made one stone her Majesty suffice, 
Who living did from many pairs arise. 

16 She charged her husband with being false to her bed before 
marriage ; and would needs have a young woman taken out of her 
grave, who had been buried upwards of three months ; pretending a 
suspicion she was with child by him ; and actually got the Coroner 
and jury to the place for this purpose ; but in this article she was 
prudently over-rul'd. 



8§ 



90 



PRICK-SHAW WITCH BLOWN UP: OR, THE 
CONJUROR OUT-CONJUR'D. 



To T. P., Esq. 

Sir, — It was a little before the last Easter that 
a mixture of malice and envy between a brace of 
booksellers, produced two auctions at the same time 
at Rochdale ; where one of the evenings I, with other 
bookish fellows of my acquaintance, resolved to stay 
for a little refreshment after the shew was over. 

It happened that among others there drew in his 
chair, an ancient man with one eye, a slouched hat, 
and very meagre countenance. Some of the company 
(as usual) on coming out of the auction room com- 
plained of the coldness of the weather. Single-peeper 
answered, " Cowd it is, an ittle naw awter theese six 
days." I ask'd him, how he could tell that ? u Ho, 
weel enough (said he) becose ot moon's oth' cusp 0th' 
third heawse to neet, at ten o'clock." Humph, said 
I, you understand astrology, I perceive. "Eigh 
(reply' d Blinkard), Ive studit it e'er sin ir fifteen yer 
owd." Why then you can calculate nativities, tell 
fortunes, and find lost or stolen goods ? " Eigh, eigh 
(said he), Ive practic'd thoose things oboon forty yor, 
on winnow turn my back o nobody." 



PRICK-SHAW WITCH BLOWN UP. 91 

I seeing his self- sufficiency, and that he was a kind 
of a mungrel between fool and knave, star'd at him 
with open mouth, as in great surprise and admiration. 
Ah Lord ! (said I) I've often heard of such folk, but 
never saw any before; why, then you're a sort of 
a conjuror ? Here he smiPd, and answered, " Eigh, 
I'm oft cow'd so ; and sometimes Prickshaw- Witch." 

Prick shaw- Witch ! good Lord bless us ! said I, 
trembling — Pve a little girl of about six months old, 
whose fortune I would gladly know, but for the sin of 
applying to such persons about it. " Sin ! now, now, 
its no sin at aw ; its naw like logic, or th' black art, 
but as harmless as any art ith ward. Very well 
(quoth I) , if it be so, what must I give you to calcu- 
late my girl's nativity? "Ho — I con doot at ony 
price, between one shilling and twenty." Nay, if 
that be the case, Fll have the best, tho' it cost me 
five pounds. 

Thus the bargain was made, and I was to meet him 
the Tuesday following, and the party that did not 
appear was to forfeit a dozen of ale. Then, after a 
short fit of studying and staring on the ground, he 
requested that what I would have known concerning 
my daughter might be given him in writing ; and, in 
particular, the exact time of her birth ; and I being a 
little on the slack-rope, resolv'd to humour him, and 
immediately trump' d up the following rhymes : 

October th' tenth my girl was born, 
Ten minutes after four i'th' morn ; 
Brown hair, and eyes of fair complexion, 
And all her limbs of good connexion. 



92 PRICK-SHAW WITCH BLOWN UP : 

I want to know her term of life ; 

If competency, without strife ; 

Her husband, whether good or bad ; 

Her first child, whether lass or lad ? 

These things are wanted to be known, 

And you'll be paid whene'er they're shown. 

I gave him the paper, and, after perusing it, he said, 
" I con mey rhymes, bo' now thus fast." So, after a 
while, the shot was paid and we parted. 

When the day of our meeting was come I had for- 
got my engagement, and consequently neglected to 
meet the Conjuror. So the Friday following he came 
to my house (when I happened to be in Yorkshire) 
and without knocking, or speaking one word, burst 
open the door, runs to my wife, takes the child out of 
her arms, and at the window examines its eyes, hair, 
&c. the better to peep into futurity. So that my 
wife, who knew nothing of the matter, took him for 
a madman. Then he ask'd her for a pen, ink and 
paper, and left me some worse than namby-pamby 
rhymes of the little child, and a strict order to meet 
him the Tuesday following, otherwise it would be to 
my cost, i. e. he would all-to-be-conjure me. This so 
raised my spirits, that it put me on contriving a way 
to be revenged on him, and fiVd me with a resolution 
to meet him, whoever paid the piper. 

Accordingly, I went to Rochdale a day before the 
time appointed, to find a proper room, and a partner 
or two to assist me in the plot which I had laid to 
countermine this modern Faustus. 

Having light of a ground- room, and a couple of 



OR THE CONJUROR OUT-CONJUR'd. 93 

comrades to my mind, I bought a pound of gun- 
powder, and try'd how much would blow up a chair, 
the better to guess what quantity would lift a Con- 
juror. Then we took up a piece of board from the 
chamber floor, and under the hole placed a shelf, 
where a large quantity of well-mix' d t — d and p — ss 
might stand, to be pour'd on his head, just when the 
gunpowder took fire, to prevent his burning : we 
spent the evening merrily enough, in hopes of paying 
old Merlin well for his study and pains the day fol- 
lowing. 

The time being come, my worship was the first 
that appear' d at the place of rendezvous. I found the 
landlord had discovered the whole plot to his wife, and 
that she would not allow of the stinking compound, 
(because the tragi- comedy was to be acted in her bed- 
room) but as much water as we pleased. So I was 
forced to be content with a double quantity of water, 
which was placed on the shelf over the Conjuror's 
chair, and the powder under it, with a train running 
from thence to the fire end, where I placed a man as 
if drunk and asleep, with a stick in his hand, ready to 
put fire to the train ; and the landlord above, as ready 
to empty the pale on his head when he saw the gun- 
powder take fire ; the word of command being, " O 
the wonderful art of astrology ! ■■ 

All things being ready, I sat about an hour very 
impatiently, and began to suspect the Conjuror had 
smelt a rat : when to my great satisfaction, old 
Faustus appeared. I rose up with joy in my face ; 



94 



LICK-SHAW WITCH BLOWN UP : 



asked his pardon for not meeting him as before 
appointed, and led him into the room. 

As I had ordered all the chairs out of the room but 
two, I, sans ceremonie, sat down in one, and the other 
of consequence fell to the Conjuror's share, with a 
table betwixt us. Then I enquired if he had fulfilled 
my desire about my daughter's nativity ? He answer' d 
in the affirmative, and immediately produc'd a paper 
book of sixteen pages, writ closely, containing the 
passages of my girl's future life, a table of the twelve 
houses, and a speculum tolerably drawn. I took 
hold of it with as much seeming veneration as if it 
had been a Sibyllian oracle, and began to peruse it : 
sometimes stopping as tho' I was overwhelmed with 
thought and deep admiration; and sometimes groan- 
ing in the spirit, like a full-blown Quaker, which I 
saw tickled the Conjuror's vanity, and made him 
expect to be doubly paid for his profound inge- 
nuity. 

After I had perus'd about one half of it, I rose up, 
and, with the book in my hand, walk'd soberly towards 
the door (having a particular antipathy to gunpowder) 
and cry'd out, " O the wonderful, &c, " at which the 
sleepy man tickled the train, and run out, which 
immediately fir'd the grand magazine : this was met 
in the nick of time by the water, which I heard, but 
neither could see that or the Conjuror, all the rooms 
in the house being full of smoke in a moment. 

When old Spyrophel came out of the compound 
cloud of fire, smoke, and water, he found me in the 



OR THE CONJURER OUT-CONJUR'd. 95 

passage with my wig and hat on the floor, as if 
frightened out of my wits, and in a violent passion ; 
I pretended to strike him with my hazel-stick, but 
hit the wall ; gave him a curse or two for putting the 
conjuration tricks upon me, and then made off with 
the old knave's notes, and left him the shot to pay. 
We all met in an appointed room, where I'll leave 
you to guess, Sir, at our mirth, that the plot had met 
with the desired success. 

After a while I enquired of the landlady what was 
become of the fortune-teller. She answere'd, he 
walked half a dozen times across the floor, brushing 
his coat, and then ask'd for me. She answered that 
I went off in a great passion, but had not seen me 
since. " Well (said he) bo if he knew aw, he'd be 
meety woode ot teyn obus'd me o thiss'n :" and then 
was for marching off. Hold, hold, says the landlady, 
as you have frightened all my guests away, I'm re- 
solv'd you shall pay the shot. " Od, but that's hard 
too too ; bo I neer deawt Mr. Collier — '11 pay'th 
shot." I'll neither trust Collier, tinker, nor cobler ; 
pay me for my ale. So he was obliged to satisfy her, 
and after a few hums and haughs he budg'n his way. 

Since that time I neither saw nor heard from him 
before the last Friday, when I received the following 
letter : — 

Sir, — This comes to acquaint you, that if you 
do not pay me for the calculating your daughter's 
nativity, I will make use of the law to get it, and then 



96 PRICK-SHAW WITCH BLOWN UP : 

you may expect to pay dear for your pastime; for 
I do not find that ever you intend to pay me, for you 
have had time sufficient to pay me already the 
small sum of five shillings. 

Note. — If you neglect to pay me, I will send the 
Catchpoles in a few days, all from 

Your abused Servant, 

Smakhaw, die Q E0 . CLEGG. 

Nov. 15, 1752. 

The day following the receipt of the above, a whim 
came into myhead to answer it in rhyme, directed, — 

To Mr. George Clegg, Conjurer-General would be, 
of the County Palantine of Lancaster, at his 
nocturnal Study at Smalshaw. 

From you, George Clegg, or Prickshaw -Witch, 

Or Doctor Faustus, choose you which : 

It matters not : — but I've a note 

By one of you three lately wrote, 

Which intimates, that 'tis a crime 

With Conjurers to pass the time. 

Besides, it makes this queer demand, 
That I must pay into your hand 
A crown of English money straight, 
Or Catchpoles soon must on me wait. 

But hold, friend George, not quite so fast, 
You'll go as far with lesser haste ; 
I promised payment, that is certain, 
If you would tell my daughter's fortune ; 



OR THE CONJURER OUT-CONJURED. 97 

But that 'tis done, I flat deny, 
Since one half gives the rest the lye. 
Nor was it sterling coin I meant, 
That being far from my intent, 
But such as you received have, 
And should be paid to ev'ry knave, 
Who roguishly wou'd thus dispense 
With reason and all common sense, 
And whilst their own they do not know, — 
Pretend another's fate to shew ; 
Which was the case, or I'm deceiv'd, 
When you'twixt fire and water hVd. 

Again, consider, it's not hard, 
After my wig and clothes were marr'd 
With fire and smoke, then as you conjur'd, 

That I must pay for being injured. 
Nay, rather you deserve a drub, 

For raising up old Belzebub, 

Who every one did almost choke 

With stinking brimstone, fire and smoke, 

Which threw us into such a fright, 

Two , and three or four did — — 

But now, good Faustus, tell me true, 

How comes five shillings thus your due ? 

Was it for coming to my dwelling, 

To cheat me with your fortune-telling ? 
As you've done many honest spouses, 

By selling them your starry houses, 

Your oppositions, quartiles, trines, 

Your fiery and aquatic signs ; 

9 



PRICK-SHAW WITCH BLOWN UP: 

Your speculums, and nodes i'th' skies, 

Cusps, aspects, and ten thousand lies. 

And don't you in your conscience think, 

Instead of fingering my chink, 

That you deserve, in high degree, 

To mount on Rochdale's pillory? 

Which is the only place that cools 

That heat of astrologic fools ; 

And turns sometimes a cheat like you, 

Into a liege-man, good and true ; 

But now, because I've shewn you mercy, 

You fall upon me arsy-versy. 

No, no, good Faustus, 'twill not do, 

My tooth as soon as coin for you : 

And hope that this, my flat denial, 

Will quickly bring it to a trial ; 

When I don't doubt to make you pay 

For all your rogu'ries in this way : 

A cat with nine-tails, wooden stocks 

And pillories are for such folks : 

And sure there are some laws i'th nation 

In force against your conjuration : 

Or, what deserves more ample scourging, 

Your cheating folk, with lies and forging, 
So if you squeak but in the gizzard, 
You're try'd by th' name of Prickshaw '-Wizard. 

From your affronted Master, 

PlLGARLIC THE GREAT. 



OR THE CONJURER OUT-CONJUR'd. 99 

This, Sir, is the truth of the story, to the date 
hereof: and should he play the madman to that 
degree as to make a Quarter Sessions job of it, I hope 
you will take it in a favourable light, and stand my 
friend : but I rather think he intends the common 
law, as I hear of a certainty that he has been to an 
attorney of my acquaintance, who had sense enough 
to laugh at his simplicity, and honesty enough to 
decline being employed against me in this case. 
What the issue will be I know not ; but if the Bed- 
lamite be as determined to sue as I am to defend, 
there will be smoking between the conjurer and 

Sir, 
Your most, &c. 

T. B. 



100 



To Mr. John Sephton, Brewer-General, in 
Liverpool. 

Milnrow, Jan. Wth, 1760. 

Sir, — As most of the roast-beef, goose and minc'd- 
pies, tarts and cnstards are devoured in my neighbour- 
hood, I have now time to reflect on and perform the 
promise, I made you, of sending you some Lancashire 
Dialect, and a few of Hoantung 's Letters to the 
Empress of Russia, all of which (could I have my 
wish) should not be thrown by for some two or three 
years on some useless shelf, a corner, or hole in a 
garret, hid from the sight of mortals by curtains of 
cobwebs, but turned into cash in a few months, to be 
ready against the next time I come to Liverpool. In 
short, vouchsafe to think on these two lines : — 

Which, tho' they are but heathen rhymes are as true 
as the Gospel. But now I think on it, I ought to 
ask pardon for this useless hint to one whose good- 
nature has been so conspicuous in this way ; for in 
the few days I was with you in Liverpool I sold fifty- 
two Bandyhewits, for which I thank you, Mr. Eyes, 
and a few more of my friends. 

When I reflect on, and compare the humours I 
observed in your populous town, with a few others 



Some write for pleasure, some for spite, 
But want of money makes me write. 




TO MR. JOHN SEPHTON. 101 

I have lately been in, I cannot bnt think that all cities 
and towns are subject to youth and old age ; have 
their constitutions, dispositions, beauties, failings, 
whims and fancies, like us two-legged mortals ; for 
instance : 

The City of York seems to think as well of itself 
as a true-born Welchman; or, if you please, the 
House of Austria (who each of them can deduce 
their origin from the time of Numa Pompilius), and 
at present walks like a plain drest nobleman of a 
royal house, and very extensive revenues : who lives 
splendidly and in affluence, without desiring to 
increase, or so imprudent to diminish, his paternal 
estate. 

Leeds is a cunning, but wealthy, thriving farmer. 
Its merchants hunt worldly wealth as eager as dogs 
pursue the hare ; they have, in general, the pride 
and haughtiness of Spanish Dons, mix'd with the 
meanness of Dutch spirits ; the strong desire they 
have of yellow dirt transforms them into galley- 
slaves, and their servants are doubly so; the first 
being fastened with golden, but the latter with iron 
chains. 

Halifax is a mongrel, begot by a Leeds merchant 
and a Lancashire woman, and nursed by a Dutch 
frow. They are eager in pursuing gain, but not so 
assiduous as to forget pleasure ; and every day at noon 
think it no scandal to lay aside business to eat beef 
and pudding. 

Rochdale is like a growing haberdasher or master 

9§ 



102 



TO MR. JOHN SEPHTON, 



hatter, black and greasy with getting a little pelt; 
whose inhabitants (like Leeds and Halifax) are great 
lovers of wool and butter, not immediately to eat, 
but to fatten them in prospect. They don't study to 
oppress their dependents, as knowing it to be impos- 
sible ; for their servants sometimes work hard, drink 
hard, and (being resolved to be independent) play 
when they please. 

Manchester is like a — a — I don't know what : 

hold ; why, 'tis like a lucky London merchant, 

who by the assiduous care and pains of himself, and 
his servants round him, has made his fortune, pur- 
chased a large estate in the country, keeps his coach 
and six, enjoys more affluence, ease and pleasure 
than ever his forefathers dreamed of; — which is de- 
monstrated by his healthful constitution, his promi- 
nent belly, his rosy cheeks, and blooming countenance 
— and has ambition enough to aim at being the mo- 
narch (and perhaps deservedly) of the whole county. 
But as your town and Manchester appear to me to be as 
like one another as two King- George-halfpennies, or 
a Wa — lpole and a Pu — Itney ; and as one cap will 
fit both their heads, I'll refer its further character till 
I come to your favourite town, Liverpool. 

Warrington within this thirty years has grown a 
busy tradesman, who by a lucky hit or two, in tow 
and copper, has got new life and vigour, and with an 
equal quantity of hope and resolution, dreams of being 
a great man, 

Chester seems to resemble an ancient lord, of an 



BREWER-GENERAL, IN LIVERPOOL. 103 

old but mongrel descent, got between a naked Briton 
and an encroaching Sasson (or Saxon) ; has so much 
of the antique blood in his veins, that he's resolved 
his servants shall still be one-third Welch and two- 
thirds English. He's proud of, and boasts his pedi- 
gree from the old Aborigines, Lives in great magni- 
ficence ; scorns to make any alterations or additions 
in his great great-grandfather's leather breeches, his 
trusty armour, or his old mansion-house ; but is quite 
content with the old fashions, and his large and 
ancient patrimony. 

As for Liverpool, I'm at a loss for an hieroglyphic, 

or a comparison for it. Hold, let me consider 

ho, 'tis like a healthful bee-hive, in a hot sum- 
mer's day, where all the community (except a few 

'mming drones) mind each their proper business. 

No this will not do ; — for bees fly from 

bitter ale and the fumes of tobacco. Then 'tis like 

a Mynheer, who by bartering, buying, and selling, 

is resolved to get money in this world, tho' he goes 
plump to the bottom of the sea, or even to the devil 
for it when he dies. No, — this last part does not 
tally neither, — Well, then, 'tis like a gamester who 
is resolv'd to be a knight or a knitter of caps. This 
is the best draught of the three, but a little unlike 
the original still. And now, I own, I am quite 
gravelled, and am forced to be a little serious ; for 
Liverpool, and its twin-brother, Manchester, are cer- 
tainly agreeable, merry and brisk towns. The people, 
in general, appear to be actuated by sensible, generous, 



104 TO MR. JOHN SEPHTON. 

and good-natured spirits : yet for all this, I could as 
well live in Mount Strombulo when in a fit of the 
ague, or in a passion, as in such slow moving clouds 
of tobacco smoke as are puffed out in the public rooms 
in Liverpool and Manchester. 

Two days ago I put on my old black coat, which I 
lately wore with you eight or ten days, but I soon 
whipp'd it off again, for it is more strongly fumigated, 
and stinks worse, than an over-smok'd red herring : 
and I believe I must either send it to the fulling 

mill (as our folks do blankets) or pickle 

it a few months in mint and lavender water before it 
will be in any tolerable season. But tho' it is so 
disagreeable to me, yet smoke to a true Liverpolian 
seems a fifth element, and that he could no more live 
out of it than a frog out of ditch water in a warm 
April. 

By the time you have got thus far, 'tis very pro- 
bable you'll think two things : first, that this epistle 
is too prolix ; and that I write like nobody else. I 
plead guilty to both indictments ; and to prevent you 
thinking me incorrigible, I conclude with assuring 
you, 

I am, &c. 

T. B. 






105 



To T. P., Esq., with HoweWs Letters. 

Sir, — I here send you HoweWs Letters, which I in- 
tended to have sent the last week ; but being in the 
middle of their persual, and its guts is as full as any fat 
landlady's in the parish. And as to the bellows, I 
have just now contrived a way to make them puff and 
blow of themselves, as easily and naturally as a phthi- 
sical pair of lungs in going up the church steps on a 
frosty morning. So much for my advertisement. 

These proposals of mine, I presume, you'll think 
very advantageous to our parish, and I hope others 
will think so too ; for which reason I do not in the 
least doubt but they will be most eagerly embraced, 
especially by our little monarchs, who rule with a high 
hand — nay even with a stroke down the face, a nod, 
or a look — and always are thrifty, in proportion to the 
smallness of their families, and largeness of their bags 
and estates. However, I propose no more than shall 
be duly and honestly performed, by 

Sir, Your most, &c. 

Tim. Bobbin. 



106 



LETTERS IN RHYME. 



To Richard Townley_, Esq. 

Sir, — 
'Twas Thursday last, when I, John Goosequill, 
Went for some odds-and-ends to Rochdale, 
With charge to buy some beef and mutton, 
But these, alas ! were quite forgotten : 
For lighting on some friends, I sat 
An hour (my wife says two) too late. 
However, chance threw in my way 
Some Dutton-cockles, fresh as May, 
Which well I knew would please wife's palate 
Better than any lamb and sallet. 

Quite free from care, I spent the hours, 
Till Time bawPd out, to horse, to horse ; 
'Twas then the wallet pressed my shoulder, 
And on I marched, no hussar bolder. 

When I got home (I hate to tell it) 
I fell to emptying of my wallet 
Of candles, soap, and such like stuff 
Of which wed-folks have ne'er enough : 
But left the cockles still at bottom 
(Bought to keep quietness when I got home); 
Then pour'd some water out of jug, 
Mix'd with some salt, into a mug, 
And turn'd the end of wallet up, 
For fish (like other folks) would sup. 






TO RICHARD TOWNLEY, ESQ. 107 

'Tis true, their crackling, empty sound, 
Chim'd ill with cockles full and round : 
But, far from smelling any rat, 
I took up this, and looked at that, 

But all were empty then I curst 

Bill Porky, as of knaves the worst, 
For selling nuts but ne'er a kernel, 
And wished him with the d — 1 infernal. 

Now searching on quite to the bottom, 
I found some stones ; — thought I, ah, rot 'em ! 
Poor Bill Porky 's honester 
Than th' best of my companions are ; 
Unless the fish could, all at once, 
Slip from their shells, and turn to stones. 

A while I stood considering 
The plaguy oddness of the thing ; 
Grop'd at my eyes, lest it should prove 

A dream but felt my eye-lids move : 

I studied how I might come off, 
Without Moll's frowning, or her laugh ; 
Thought I, my Rib will think I joke her, 
And brought home shells just to provoke her ; 
Or frowning tell me some mad tale, 
Of minding nothing but good ale. 
Then, sighing, rais'd my maudlin-head, 
Reel'd up the stairs — and went to bed. 

No sooner up, but there's a query, 
Put by my loving wife : hight, Mary, 

What meat I'd bought ? Why — nothing else 

But pebble stones — and cockle-shells. 



108 



To Mr. Cowper, Wine-Merchant, in Liverpool. 

Dec. 24, 1761. 

Sir, — 
A — dizzy head and thoughts o' th' ramble 
Makes me to write without preamble, 

And bold as any trooper ; 
To let my friend at distance know 
The plague and trouble I go through, 

Because of Mr. Cowper. 
For my Crook' d Rib, each now and then, 
Doth frowning ask me, Pray, Sir, when 
May I expect my mountain ? 

I shrug my shoulders why e'er long 

'Twill be at Rochdale, good and strong, 

And clear as any fountain. 
But as the clock strikes at the heels 
Of the last hour — so Timmy feels 

His ears stunned with this question, 
When will my wine and brandy come ? 

I clear my weasand, answer mum — 

Tho ; I've your word to rest on. 
Perhaps your pictures you expect, 
Before I feel the warm effect 

Of your care-killing liquor ! 
But hark you, Sir, the days are dark 
And cold : On then I hete aw wark, 
As ill as any Vicar. 




TO MR. COWPER. 109 

But in a month, or two, at least, 
Except the sun wheel back to th' east, 

You may expect your beauties ; 
But in the mean time must I fast ? 
Or guzzle Ale, not to my taste ? 

Nay, hang me on some yew-trees. 
I from my cot, this Christmas-Eve, 
Write with a troubled mind, believe, 

And wife in doleful dumps : 
For who can merry be, that's wise, 
While what he wants in Lerpo lies, 

And vex'd with jeers and frumps ? 
Pray send a line, that I may say, 
To my Crook' d-Rib, on such a day 

Your gossips' nose shall job in 
A tankard made of Mountain Wine, 
Sweet water, nutmeg, sugar fine, 

And set at rest 

Tim Bobbin. 



10 



110 



THE CUCKOW AND OWL, 



A FABLE. 



A Cuckow many years had rang'd 

Amongst the feathered kind, 
To see if he a mate could meet, 

Would fix his roving mind. 
He tried all ; he loves but few, 

For some too high did soar : 
Some were too little, some too big, 

And some too ragg'd and poor. 
At last he would a courting go, 

To broad-fac'd Mistress Owl, 
Believing her the prettiest bird 

Of all the winged fowl. 

Transported with this odd conceit, 
Away the Cuckow flew, 

And in a very amorous strain, 
He thus begins to woo : 

Dear Madam Owl, my heart has been 
Long captive to your charms, 

Nor can it have a moment's rest 
Till your soft down it warms. 



THE CUCKOW AND OWL. Ill 

This said, the Cuckow would have bill'd, 

The Owl she turned her face 
As knowing coyness whets an edge, 

And gives a better grace. 
Sir Cuckow would not be deny'd, 

But struggled for a kiss ; 
Which having gain'd, the Cuckow cry'd, 

What melting joy is this ! 
Thus thirteen moons the Cuckow woo'd 

Her ladyship, the Owl, 
Who thought her sweetheart lov'd her more 

Than Miller loves his toll : 
Because he talked of Hymen's noose, 

And needs would have her go 
To have it ty'd about their necks, 

By help of Parson Crow. 
But as it chanced, the Owl was deep 

With Reverend Crow in love ; 
And hoping still to make him her's, 

The thing did not approve. 
But lest she should not gain the Crow, 

She would not flat deny 
The roving Cuckow' s queer request, 

Lest she alone should lie. 
The Cuckow smelt the cunning jilt, 

Too wise to be a tool 
And carries on the farce awhile 

To countermine the Owl. 
For long he 'd lov'd and was esteem* d 

By the solitary Jay ; 



112 THE CUCKOW AND OWL. 

To whom he flying, weds, and leaves 

The Owl to time a prey. 
For she not pleasing Parson Crow, 

Wished she '& the Cuckow then 
But 'twas too late, the time was gone, 

And would not come again. 
Her ruddy face, so gay before, 

Is turned a tarnish white ; 
Her sprightly mind and brilliant thoughts 

Are like the cloudy night. 
So now she haunts the lonely woods, 

And hoots in barns by night ; 
Complaining of her fine spun wit, 

And hates to see the light. 



THE MOEAL. 

The virgin thus in all the bloom of life, 
Is lov'd, and courted for a happy wife ; 

But she denies expecting nobler game, 

Till forty comes, and she's no more the same. 

For time is gone ; then wishes vainly rise 

She curses av'rice, and a maid she dies ! 






113 



THE GARDENER AND THE ASS 
A FABLE.* 



PART i. 

An Ass with poverty long strove, 

And pastured in the lanes, 
Till, hunger bit, he thus to Jove, 

In rueful tone complains : 
Ah ! hadst thou made me any beast, 

That laden by doth pass, 
Then had my paunch been fill'd (at least) 

With straw if not with grass ! 
Jove hears his plaint, and soon doth send 

A fox, with this advice, 
Chear up, and look more brisk, my friend, 

Hunger should make thee wise : 
Behold how gay the fool and knave 

Do stiffly strut along : 
The rat is sleek, I fat and brave, 

With murder, theft, and wrong. 

* There is something like a Moral at the end of this tale ; but as 
Timothy cou'd not, wou'd not, or durst not deduce it naturally, from 
the general scope of the Fable, as it ought to be ; he has left it (like 
a skain of ruffled silk) for hyperpolitical critics to unravel. 

10 § 



114 THE GARDENER AND THE ASS. 

Look thro' that fence, where spinage sweet, 

And coleworts green do grow, 
The lettice and the jucy beet ; 

Then who'd be hungry now ? 
The ass pricks np his slouching ears, 

And into the garden peeps : 
He longs the more, the more he stares, 

Then thro* the hedge he creeps. 
Balaam promiscuously doth bronze 

On herbs, and choicest flow'rs. 
Till Tom the gardener doth him rouse, 

And all his sweetness sours. 
For lo ! a heavy club cries thwang 

Upon the ass's side ; 
He starts at this unwelcome bang, 

And o'er the beds doth stride. 
The fine glass bells and pots are broke, 

Carnations fully blown, 
Alike are ruin'd at a stroke, 

And wholly overthrown ! 
The gardener distracted, sees 

The havock which he makes, 
He flatters much, — desires a peace ; 

And thus the ass bespakes : 
So honest Balaam ; so, my lad ; 

Stand still — I pr'ythee stand ; 
The club is lost which late I had, 

As witness now my hand. 
Thus, fawning, he with cautious strides, 

Lays hold on Balaam's ears. 



THE GARDENER AND THE ASS. 115 

And out of Paradise him guides, 

To pay for all repairs. 
For 'tis resolved old Hob must pay 

And Balaam stoop to th J yoke, 
By fetching pots and glass next day, 

Instead of those he broke. 



ii. 



The morning scarcely peeps, when Tom 

Between the crates is got, 
And busy thrashing Balaam's bum, 

For blunders past, God wot ! 
The ass bewails his dismal case, 

And groans for freedom lost ; 
And longs his rider to displace, 

From his triumphing post ; 
When, lo ! he sees behind a ditch 

Two thorny bushes, where 
He straight runs thro', as if bewitch/ d, 

And quits his rider clear. 
The crates and Tom are left behind, 

He sprawling in the mud. 
His face is scratched, his peepers blind 

With mixed mire and blood. 
Thus crates and saddle which, of late, 

Tom dauntless did bestride, 
Mount in their turn — thus mighty Fate 

Doth humble human pride ! 



116 



THE GARDENER AND THE ASS. 



He scrap' d his clothes, lie washed his face, 

And then far Balaam stares, 
And saw him nibbling at the grass, 

Discharged of worldly cares. 
Tom swore by Jove, revenged I'll be 

On thee, by hook or crook ; 
So, with some pains and flattery, 

Again he Balaam took, 
The ass is saddled once again, 

And Tom again him mounts ; 
Resolved to ride with careful rein, 

And make him clear accounts. 
He then banged on about a mile, 

Where he'd a bridge to pass, 
And Balaam's ready with a wile, 

As any other ass : 
For he was dry, or did pretend, 

At least, for to be so ; 
Tom thinking he'd no other end, 

So lets the bridle go. 
The ass puts down his shaggy pate, 

Then tosses up his rump, 
And tumbles Tom from off his seat, 

Who lights i'th' water plump. 

Balaam now thought he'd freedom gain'd, 

But as he march'd away, 
He found his head was still restrain' d, 

Tho' Tom i'th' water lay. 
For he'd the bridle in his hand, 

By which the ass did draw 









THE GARDENER AND THE ASS. 117 

Him bravely sous'd unto the land, 

111 chagrined in his maw. 
Tom had no sooner found his feet, 

But banged at the ass, 
As if on purpose to be beat, 

As iron is, or brass ; 
But now his cudgel waxeth short, 

And cooler grows his ire : 
Yet mounting steed is not his sport, 

Or trotting his desire. 
For hanging bridle on his arm, 

He walks before the ass, 
As fearing that some greater harm 

Might quickly come to pass. 
So time, who sees the end of things, 

Doth half his journey see, 
Where Tom his pots and glasses rings, 

Poor Balaam's load to be. 



in. 

Now Tom his brittle ware doth pack 

In straw well mix'd, with care, 
And lays them on the ass's back, 

Which made him grunt and stare. 
Howe'er, with patience Balaam went, 

Until he came unto 
The place where will, or accident, 

So late his master threw. 
Nature, or man's contrivance, made 

A high and lower way ; 



118 THE GARDENER AND THE ASS. 

The one for such, as love to wade, 

One o'er a wood-bridge lay. 
The ass by chance, or choice, had got 

Upon the higher road, 
When Tom began to dread the lot 

Of his precarious load. 
No farther durst he drive the ass, 

Nor could he bring him back ; 
And Tom in such dilemma was, 

As put his mind o'th' rack. 
Fear and vexation fiercely mov'd 

Like lightening thro' his breast, 
Until his fury master proved, 

And then he smote his beast. 
The blow on Balaam's nose did light, 

Which drove his head askew ; 
A foot behind slips off for spight, 

And all the rest overthrew. 
Now, topsy-turvy, bell and pot 

Do jingling tumble down; 
And Balaam lies with four feet up, 

Quite dead ! on in a swoon ! 

The gard'ner, with uplifted hands, 

Extends his mouth and eyes, 
And like a marble statue stands, 

In terrible surprize. 
A neighbouring tinker by doth come, 

And shakes him by the nose ; 
Tom answers with a haw and hum, 

As people in a dose, 
Then index finger he doth stretch, 






THE GARDENER AND THE ASS. 119 

And points at all his woe ; 
For look, said he, that clumsy wretch, 

Is tumbled down below. 
Well, tho' 'tis so, the tinker says, 

An ass is but an ass : 
Tom quick replies, that's not the case, 

He's broke my pots and glass ! 
The tinker owns the story bad, 

But says Thy standing here 

Will never mend it come, my lad, 

Let's view thy broken geer. 
Tom and the tinker now agree. 

And soon unloose the ass ; 
Then roll him off the crates, but he 

Seem'd deadly stiff, alas ! 
Then both of them began to throw 

Away the broken ware ; 
But those they found in statu quo 

Are pack'd again with care. 
This done, the tinker takes one crate 

And saddle on his back, 
Tom lifts the other on his pate, 

And homeward both do pack. 
As on the road they jogging went, 

Tom told the story o'er ; 
The tinker did his case lament : 

But still he roundly swore, 
Tom was fool in grain, to think 

Of coping with an ass ; 
Since more we stir, the more we stink, 

In every dirty case. 



120 THE GARDENER AND THE ASS. 

The ass now left — contention sore 

Arose between these two ; 
Tom thought him dead — the tinker swore 

" No more than I, or you." 
All authors since do vary here, 

In this mysterious case, 
Some write " he broke his neck/' some swear 

" He out-liv ; d this disgrace." 
Be this as't will, we'll leave him here, 

'Twixt doubtful life and death ; 
Expecting time will make it clear, 

If he still live and breathe. 



THE MOEAL. 

So have I seen a Ministry bestride, 
A Common-Wealth, in all the pomp of pride : 
Who for the public good ne'er laid a scheme, 
But dear self-interest was her only aim ; 
And nestl'd in the umbrage of a Crown, 
Eode Jehu- like, nor dream'd of tumbling down. 

Brib'd S — n — rs, sold votes, to make us pay 
Three fifths to those, who squander'd all away : 
But now such taxes ne'er before were known, 
Yet knaves cry up the times, when freedom's flown. 
O glorious times ! when caudles, and the sun, 
Must yield them thousands, or all's dark at noon ! 

The red-streak apple golden juice must yield, 
Like bits of paper, or the steril field : 
We feel the yoke, and fatal ruin see, 
Yet dare not struggle for lost 1 y. 

But tho' at present all things smoothly pass, 

Take care ye jockies, lest ye ride an ASS. 



121 



THE THREE CONCEITED BEAUTIES. 



A FABLE. 




1st. Three country bumpkins chanced to meet, 

Whose phizzes looked like vizards : 
The first the second thus doth greet : 

Thy face is like some wizards ! 
The ugliest of the ugliest sort 

Thou art, or Fm mistaken : 
Sure nature made thee all for sport, 

Or sight has me forsaken. 

2d. But thou,rt all beauty in thy looks, 

And ev'ry feature 's pleasing ! 
This I wou'd swear on twenty books, 

But for my sin encreasing. 
For sure thy nose, thy mouth, thy eye, 

Wou'd suit no other mortal ; 
Pluto and Jove will throw thee bv, 

On entering grim Death's portal. 

3d. The third, and ugliest of the three, 
Said, Lord ! how you'r conceited ! 
I cannot stand a mute, and see 

Two neighboring friends thus cheated. 

11 



12.2 THREE CONCEITED BEAUTIES. 

I wonder why such mortals should 

About their beauty fall out ; 
Were I as ugly, I ne'er wou'd 

From my poor cottage crawl-out. 
For with an ax and owler-tree 

I'd make two men as handsome : 
Or live a slave in Tripoly 

And never sue for ransome. 



THE MOEAL. 

This is an emblem of all human kind ; 
We every one to onr own faults are blind : 
Nay, tho' they're blazing, them we cannot see : 
They're beauties all, or pass from censure free. 



123 



LANCASHIRE HOB AND THE QUACK DOCTOR, 
A TALE. 1762. 



A thrifty carl was tir'd of lonely cot, 

Because the tooth-ach he so often got : 

Six teeth were all he had to chew his food ; 

All gave him pain, but none could do him good. 

Hob hearing Rochdale town did then contain 

A famous quack, that drew teeth without pain. 

To him he flies, and, in a voice as loud 

As Stentor's, thus bespoke him thro' the crowd : 

" Ho — onist mon, whot munneh gi' ye to drea 

A tush ot pleagues me awmust neet an dea ?" 

Six-pence the quack replies. — Hob spoke again, 

" An conneh do't me, thinkneh, beawt mitch pein ;" 

Ho, well enough. — Quoth Hob, " Suppose I two 

Yoan do for neenpunce?" That I will not do. 

" How monny then for twelvpence winneh poo ?" 

All that thou hast. — Quoth Hob, " They're just enoo." 

The doctor took this for a country joke, 
Till he saw Hob hard pressing thro' the folk, 
And mount the stage. — Quack now some mirth 
intends, 



)) 



124 LANCASHIRE HOB AND 

And slily for a pair of pincers sends ; 
Thinking he'd met one of those puny fools 
Would run away from such inhuman tools. 
Hob takes the pincers, " Vara weel," said he 
" If they'n fit yo, Fm shure they win fit me. 

Hob now aloft is seated in a chair, 
With open mouth, in which the Quack did stare ; 
Who laughing said, You have but six I find, 
And they're so loose, they'll wag with ev'ry wind. 
" Better for yo, yo know; do yo yer job." 
Yes, yes, and quickly too, my honest Hob ; 
Hold up your head — " Oh " — here is one you see ; 
Come, hold again — here's two — would you have three? 
" I think ot mon's a foo ; we bargint plene, 
Poo these aw eawt, or set thoose in ogen." 
If that be th' case, hold up again, my friend, 
Come, open wide, and soon the work we'll end. 

Hob now extends his spacious jaws so wide, 
There's room for pincers, and good light beside. 
Cries Quack, here's three, here's four, Hob bawls 

out " Oh," 
Hold, hold, says Quack, there's something more to do ; 
Come, gape again ; — here's five — here's six — and th' 

last, 
And now I'm sure thy tooth-ach pains are past. 
" That's reet, quoth Hob, gi' me meh teeth, on then 
I'll pey os freely os some roycher men." 
The Quack complies, and Hob his twelve pence paid, 
Then, in dismounting, to the mob thus said, 
" They're arron foos ot six-pence pein for one, 
While for o shillin I haa six jobs done. 






THE QUACK DOCTOR. 125 

But still they're bigger foos that live e pein, 

When good seawnd teeth mey choance to come ogen." 

The doctor stares — and hastily replies 

They come again ! not till the dead shall rise, 

One single tooth no more thy jaws shall boast, 

I hold a crown thou ev'ry tooth hast lost. 

" Tis done," quoth Hob : and stakes a Charles's crown, 

The Quack as nimbly throws five shillings down. 

Hob takes up all, and in a neighbour's hand 

Secures the total : then makes his demand. 

" Measter, yo know eawr bet is, that I've lost 
My teeth ; and that I have not none to boast." 
The Quack replies 'tis true ; and what by that ? 
" Why, see I've six neaw o eh meh owd scull-hat. 
Ne sur, if yoan geaw wimmy whom, I'll shew 
Yo e'ry tooth, ot e meh meawth did groo." 

The Quack ill-vex' d he such a bite shou'd meet 
Turn'donhis heel, while Hob said," Sur — good neet." 



11 § 



126 






THE PLUKALIST AND OLD SOLDIER. 



A soldier maim'd, and in the beggars' list, 
Did thus address a well-fed Pluralist. 

Sol. At Guadalupe my leg and thigh I lost, 
No pension have I, tho' its right I boast ; 
Your reverence please some charity bestow, 
Heaven will pay double — when you're there — you 
know, 

Plu. Heaven pay me double ! vagrant — know 
that I 
Ne'er give to strollers, they're so apt to lye; 
Your parish, and some work, would you become, 
So haste away — or constable's your doom. 

Sol. May't please your rev'rence, hear my case, 
and then, 
You'll say I'm poorer than the most of men : 
When Malbro sieged Lisle I first drew breath, 
And there my father met untimely death ■ 
My mother follow' d, of a broken heart, 
So I've no friend, or parish, for my part. 



JOHN OF GAUNT'S LEASES IMITATED. 127 

Plu. I say, begone : — with that he loudly knocks, 
And timber-toe began to smell the stocks ; 
Away he stumps — but in a rood, or two, 
He clear'd his weasand, and his thoughts broke thro\ 

Sol. This 'tis to beg of those who sometimes preach 
Calm charity, and ev'ry virtue teach ; 
But their disguise, to common sense, is thin ; 
A pocket buttoned ; — hypocrite within. 
Send me, kind heav'n, the well-tann'd captain's face 
Who gives me twelve-pence and a curse, with grace ; 
But let me not, in house, or lane, or street, 
These treble-pension'd-parsons ever meet ; 
And when I die, may I still numbered be 
With the rough soldier, to eternity. 



JOHN OF GAUNT'S LEASES IMITATED. 
APRIL, 1759. 



By this, B, d T y, of B d, doth grant 

To John Clegg, the dyer, three things he doth want : 
The dye-honse, as he many years hath it held, 
With leave for two tenters to stand i'th greave-field ; 
Which tenters do fence near the north and east sides; 
One likewise the field into two now divides : 
The brow, or the lower part, of the said field, 
Together with all above mention' d I yield 



128 JOHN of gaunt's leases imitated. 

Unto the said dyer, for his life and mine, 
Or whether lives longer : but then T confine 
Him duly to pay me and mine, ev'ry year, 
Three pounds of good money, and Fll taxes bear. 
One half he at Whitsuntide strictly shall pay, 
The pther as duly each Martinmass Day. 

To shew that the dyer this lease did not steal. 
Behold, here I fix both my hand and my seal. 

Signed and Sealed this Day, before 
Two sober Mortals, and no more. 



ANOTHER. 

I E d T y, of B d, the Younger, 

Do grant to John Collier, for whether lives longer, 
The Wheat Field, and th' Bylings, the rent four 

pounds ten, 
"Which payment neglected, are both mine again ; 
That my Heirs may take notice, know all that this 

came 
From my hearty good will, so I here write my name, 

Signed this dry, sans fraud, or guiles 



Before 


James Haslam, 


Dec. 10.1 


and 


1758. J 


J. FlLDES. 



129 



THE ECCLESIASTICAL AND LAY-MISER'S 
SPECULUM. 



A RHYMING SERMON, ON THE DECEASE OE DE. EOESTER, 
THE PLURALIST. 



From James, chap, v, ver. 1, 2, 3. 

Gro to, ye Rich Men, weep and howl, ye know 
Your garments moth- eat : riches canker' d grow : 
The rust shall eat your flesh, like fires that glow. 

Hear this, ye gripes — ye blind insatiate crew, 
Whose hoards abound — whose heirs and friends are 

few, 
And your own fate in Forster's glass here view. 

What's now become of all his griping schemes. 
Of hoading wealth, which fostered silken dreams ? 
The flash is vanished like our northern gleams ! ( x ) 

The sweetest consolations riches yield ( 2 ) 
Flo quick, and whither, like a flower o'th' field ( 3 ) 
You trust a broken reed — a crazy shield ! ( 4 ) 

Woe to your misers — you that live at ease, 
Who swallow up the poor, your wealth to increase, 
Your miseries come : but tell me when they'll cease. ( 5 ) 

1 Prov. xxiii, 5. 2 Luke xii, 20. 3 Luke vi, 25. 

4 James i, 1, 11. 5 James v, 1. 



130 



lay-miser's speculum. 



Can racking tenants, and your treasur'd wealth 
Give calm content, or purchase balmy health ? 
Or bribe grim Death from creeping on by stealth ? 

No, — here you're feeble ! — tho' this gloomy thought 
Torments the mind, that time will not be bought, 
Tho' bags, and chests, with mighty gold are fraught. 

Consider, now, if sordid pelf will gain 
A seat in bliss, or ease one dying pain ? 
If not, from squeezing of the poor refrain. 

Expand your narrow minds — pour bags untie ; 
Nor tremble when you give a groat, for why? 
Hour God will slip you, when you come to die. ( 6 ) 

Relieve the wants, and cherish the sad heart 
Of your poor neighbours, who endure the smart 
Of meagre want, that pierces like a dart. ( 7 ) 

But Forster's gone, whose life we thought was 
wrong, 
And tho' the Devil at the Court be throng, 
He'll fetch — who starts ? — another e'er't be long. 



6 Prov. xxiii, 5. 



7 Eccles. xi, 1, 2. 



131 



PROM A SCOTCH GENTLEMAN, AT GLASGOW, TO 
HIS FRIEND IN MANCHESTER. 



Sir, — 

I mind your kindness, care, and pains 
To shaw yer city, streets, and lanes ; 
Yer stately fanbrics, on yer toors 
Mognificent, bet net lik ours : 
Then te yer Kirk conducted me, 
The waa o worship there to see, 
Wher auld bog- whistles soonded high, 
And quiristers did joyn the cry : 
But dills the soond to grate the ear 
Of a North-British Presbyteer. 



THE ANSWER. 
Sir,- — 

Thau you hawfe-brether Scoat de ken 
My peins to shaw awr toon, whot then, 
Ye sleetght aur fawbricks, streets an toors 
As net so stately queet as yours : 
Yet knaw, an auld aux- chest may hoold 
Mare wealth, than screwtore gelt with goold : 
And in aur streets mare baubees pass to 
Yen another, than at Glasgow. 



132 PROM A WELCH CONSTABLE. 

But yet I've something to say mare man, 
Ye de net leek awr awld-kirk organ ; 
Bet think a gude bog-peep soonds sweeter 
Thon that at Rawme played in St. Peter : 
Bet whereas the marvel of aw this ? 
Trampets flay pigs, and ools, and geese. 



AN ORIGINAL LETTER, FROM A WELCH CONSTABLE 
TO A COUNTRY INN-KEEPER. 



To Etwart Tavis. 

I was have it Warrant from too Shustices Pace, 
which make Orter upon me, to make Orter upon you, 
to make your Peer, at Mrs. Worral of Eet-liou Faus, 
upon the 17th tay of Shuly ness, to give cose why 
you was not take it te Licensse for sell Ale like unto 

oter Peoples Ay ant to give it a very goot 

cose too ; why te Shustice which poth all too, is very 
goot mans, will not give it his warrant upon you to 

levy upon your Goots and Kattles So te Worts of 

the Warrant is. 

Ay ant inteet, I to tell unto you, it is a very 

pig shame why you was not take it like all te Popolls 
in te Comtozeth. For what purpose our goot Prenin 
make it so goot Law, ant you was not mint hur? 
Hit was as goot for the Prenin, cot pless hur, make 
it no Law, as make Law, was no poty keep hur. 



FROM ,A WELCH CONSTABLE. 133 

Ay and you make te too pig fool upon our too 

Shustice ant tat is very true inteet for they both 

all too was sent to you two times, ant make spoke to 
you very fronteoll put you was very pig agry, ant 
passuant, ant say, cot tarn our goot Prenin ! Shus- 

tises ! Parlamen ! constapls an all ! Put now I 

will tell unto you, pi cot the Shustices poth all 

took very much agar at you : ay ant inteet it will pe 
petter for you to come without making a pig troost : 
ay, ant a pig costis upon yourself ant will hurt your 

Fameel. 1 do devise you to take my conger, or it 

will be worse for you : for you to know I was upon 
my swear to my Smyth : And pi cot hur will to hur. 

Tis is a very gut notice from me to you : ant I was 
summon hur upon te twenty tays of Shune, 1758, 

John Jones of Goskisa Cunstap — for the 

Wrexhom Regi una Sheer Timpy 

— ant John Skefton is my Prother Cunstap. 
and was upon the same Thinks with me — 
in poth — pith I was say ant to Farewell to you. 



12 



134 



A LANCASHIEE LETTEE, FEOM THE ORIGINAL. 



Directed to Mr. John Scolfield, in Church Lane, 

Rochdale. 

Desamber 10 1723. 

Fraud John S of eld I liafe sand you a Barle of 
Osters by John Tester and I dasire yon to sand me 
word on yon Lick tham fo I bock the baste I could 
in oil London ; and the man said he wold hophould 
them to keep a fornet. But I would hafe yon to 
youes tham oscoun as yo can ConfeneLy and I desire 
you to sand me worde whear you wel hafe a hole 
Barel or hafe one the nackes Gorenne But if ther be 
ane outher sorte that you thank you can like Better 
nor tham that I hafe sand you, I desire you to lat me 
no, and I will do Bast I can for yon in any respeck, 
the ousters cost 3 shelen and I had writ to you fore- 
nou Bout I hafe had no time to do nothing at all for 
whe hafe had a sad mesforton at ouer house for whe 
hafe had oure house Brocke and whe hafe about 40 
or 50 poundesworth of plate stole out of side Bourde, 
and afers Bede sad thaat sarfens most Be gelte of et, 
and I was nefer in so much troubel about nothing in 
all my Life : But my mesters and I whant to Johnten 
whitd thef Cakcher in the ould Bale & he toulds hou 
the got in house, my mistress sade she was glad that 



A LANCASHIRE LETTER. 135 

liar sarfeens was clare and there was another hous 
Bronk thes Last nite in our stret Bout got 20 shelens 
in hapens in a grocers shope and the wack satham 
and the ranawase and I bought a congel crouke for 
Hanry Bamfoad, and et came douns in a bockes to 
mrs. stott and I horderd tham to Lefard to you, and 
I resafed 2 shilen t order, and et cost eafe a croune, 
and I desire you to tel them that tha ma grencke the 
6 penes amonche them in the shope Mr. Scofeld I 
desire you to gife my sarfes to hefere body that hac- 
kes hafter me. sonomore bot your most homble 
sarvant 

Robert Shore. 



ANOTHEE, FEOM THE OEIGINAL. 

SollJcom Fery 26 1752 

Robert Ashworth you must order that Pes that I 
Leveret yeu to this Pateran and you must Goo to 
witit her, and tak I pes of Allecksonder Weikater. It 
Is Bert op to chemlepes In Grates It is a finewon 
that you most Get et A doboll bllu and dou your in 
Dever for me as I Lii o gret wee of for 1 want them 
In my Shop. Put Som Sop to them and I will pee 
you. 



136 



A YORKSHIRE LETTEE TO AN ATTORNEY FOR 
HIS ADVICE. 

Sur — Ganging dreely odt' Lopn anent t' Brigg 
weet cout adt' ton Hond, an o Poke o' Masfiedin on 
him, an a bran Span New Skeele it tuther, ot i'd gust 
gean yan on Eleimpence for : grieny Illfav'rd Key o 
Jonny Lunds lawpt fru amangst Whinns, Or I thout 
theyd baith a gaen full burr ower me : sa I puncht 
Dout to gar him gan odt toan side, an he bein Skaddle 
ga file a Lawp ok if war sore flayed wod a swithurt ma 
intut Dyke. Sa I war fain to lig t' Skeele ot Grand 
an click hawd odt Poke, an while I war doin tat, yan 
odt Kye whimled ower it, trade ent, on dang it to 
tratters. Query Sur, Woont Jonny Lund be like to 
to make Satisfackshon ? 



137 



EPITAPHS. 



ON JO. GREEN, LATE SEXTON AT ROCHDALE. 

Here lies Jo. Green, who arch has been, 

And drove a gainful trade 
With powerful Death, 'till, out of breath, 

He threw away his Spade. 
When Death beheld his comrade yield, 

He, like a cunning Knave, 
Came, soft as wind, poor Jo. behind, 
And pushed him int' his grave. 
Reader, one tear, if thou hast one in store, 
Since Jo. Green's tongue and chin can wag no more. 



ON MR. JOHN HAMER, MATHEMATICIAN, 
LATE OE ROCHDALE. 

Ho, Passenger ! see who lies here; 

Perhaps His worth thy knowing ; 
'Tis Hamer, the Philosopher, 

Whose bellows have done blowing : 
An arch and jovial wight he was. 

And skill' d in Newton's notions ; 

12 § 



138 DR. FORSTER. 

He could demonstrate by his glass, 

The twirl 0'th' heavenly motions. 
Copernicus' s system he 

Proved true, by quart and candle ; 
And harvest-moons, familiarly, 

Like full punch-bowls did handle. 
Ah me ! what pity 'tis he's gone ! 

Say, Mortals, how it could be, 
That he was cramm'd beneath this stone, 

Where fools and misers should be. 



ON DR. FORSTER, LATE YICAR OF ROCHDALE. 

Full three feet deep beneath this stone 

Lies our late Vicar Forster, 
Who clipped his sheep to'th' very bone, 

But said no Pater Noster. 
By ev'ry squeezing way 'tis said, 

Eight hundred he raised yearly : 
Yet not a six-pence of this paid 

To th' Curate this looks queerly ! 

His tenants all now praise the Lord 

With hands lift up, and clapping, 
And thank grim death, with one accord, 

That he has ta'en him napping. 
To Lambeth's Lord now let us pray, 

No Pluralist he'll send us ; 
But should he do't, what must we say 

Why Lord above defend us ! 



139 



THE AUTHOR'S EPITAPH. 

A yard beneath this heavy stone p 
Lies Jack of- all-Trades, good at none, 
A Weaver first, and then School Master ; 
A Scrivener next : then Poetaster, 
A Painter, Graver, and a Muter, 

And Fame doth whisper, a C r ; 

An Author, Carver, and Hedge Clark : 
E Whoo-who-whoo, whot whofoo wark ! 
He's laft um aw, to lie ith dark ! 



140 



THE BATTLE OF THE FLYING DRAGON AND 
THE MAN OF HEATON. 



Spectatum admissi risum teneatis ? 

Hoe. Aes. Poet. ver. 5. 



TO THE READER. 
I have very little to say to thee, O my Friend ; only, 
I hope by the following short Poem thou wilt 
see, that I wish Englishmen would be content to 
be Englishmen, both in dress and politicks. 

Farewell. 



THE ARGUMENT. 

A Lancashire Beau being at London fell in love with the large pig- 
tails and ear-locks, and consequently brought the French toys with 
him to Lancaster ; business calling him to Sunderland, on that coast, 
and the day being uncommonly boisterous, he mounts his courser, 
dress'd in the pig-tail, ear-locks, &c. a la mode de Fra. The toy roll'd 
on his shoulders till the blasts blew away both that, and the ear- 
locks, they being fastened to the tail with black ribbons. 

A country man coming that way, and seeing them blown about in 
the lane, takes the French medley for a Flying Dragon, and, after 
mature deliberation, resolved to kill it. This produced three battles ; 
at the latter end of which (the wind ceasing, and the pig-tail lying 
still (he thought he had manfully perform' d. Elated with the ex- 
ploit, he twists his stick in the ear-locks, and carries all before him 
aloft in the air, as boys commonly do adders ; till meeting the Rector 
of Heysham, he was, with much ado, convinced ; and then in great 
confusion sneak'd away, leaving his Reverence in possession of she 
monster ; who still keeps it at Heysham, and often shews it with 
much diversion to his friends 



141 



THE FLYING DRAGON AND THE MAN OF HEATON. 

What man alive tho' e'er so wise, 

With spaniel's nose, and eagle's eyes, 

Can tell this hour, what th' next will fling us, 

Or whether joy or sorrow bring us ; 

That no dispute there needs of this, 

The Man of Heaton witness is ; 

A man he was, and very stout, 

But whether quite so wise, some doubt, 

And as my muse dare not decide, 

The folPwing facts must be our guide. 

So leaving him in doubtful mood, 

Let's hint at one more understood. 



Our other hero, for we've two, 
Hight Mijnheer Skyppo Vanderloo, 
Was late arriv'd from that fam'd city, 
Half French, half English — ah, what pity ! 
Where courtiers, pensioners, and place-men, 
By frequent ins and outs, disgrace men : 
Where doughty Squires to Knights are vamp'd ; 
Where half-thick Lords to Earls are stamp'd, 
Where all the arts of jockey- ship 
Are us'd, as at the Turf and Whip ; 
Where one throws out his dearest brother, 
And Statesmen jostle one onother; 
Who lay their megrim brains together 
To make our feet find their own leather. 



142 THE FLYING DRAGON AND 

Our eys must see, sans sun or candle, 
And in the day mope — dingle dangle ; 
Where bribery's the chiefest trade, 
And laws against our interest made ; 
Where Britain's fate is — hum — decided, 

And all 'mongst w — s and r s divided ! 

But stay ! should I their actions paint 
Our heads wou'd ach ; our hearts wou'd faint ; 
So leaving them and their grand squabble, 
My muse of better things shall babble. 

This man I say was just come down, 
From that French-pig-tail foppish town, 
As gay as daw, in borrowed plumes, 
And all the airs of fop assumes, 

His Ramille, secundum artem, 
Was toss'd up, — bless me, — ah — ad fa-t-m ; 
His earlocks too! — near eyebrows placed 
His countenance genteely graced, 

A pig-tail dangling to his , 

(O Truth, 'tis thou that shames my verse), 
Being tagged with curious shining hair, 
In various colours did appear, 
With powder dusted ; smoothed by Tonsure, 
He look'd as grand as Monkey Monsure ! 

His nag high mettl'd shin'd like raven, 
Both sire and dam, of blood in Craven : 
He mounted, hem'd — fill'd cheeks w r ith wind ; 
Spur'd nag — (who answer'd from behind) ; 



THE MAN OF HEATON. 143 

Away he flew. — Now boisterous Boreas, 

Vex'd to see man so vainly glorious, 

Resolv'd this champion's pride to humble, 

And make his furious courser stumble ; 

But finding soon this scheme to fail, 

He aimed his force at the pig-tail, 

And whisk' d it round both back and shoulder, 

Still he rode on — and still look'd bolder ! 

Boreas chagrined and gall'd with pain, 

At ear-locks blew, with might and main, 

Not dreaming of their b'ing ally'd, 

And to the tail so closely ty'd. 

All Skyppo's head attire so gay, 

The blast had nearly blown away, 

When Fortune raising ruffled hand, 

Kept wig and beaver on their stand ; 

But pig-tail with the ear-locks new, 

Away with Boreas waving flew, 

Our hero spruce ne'er miss'd the toy, 

But rode for Sunderland with joy; 

Thinking to shew the fashion new, 

Which sight wou'd make one laugh — or spew. 



PART II. 

But who comes next ! — The Man of Heaton, 

Whose very name old time hath eaten : 

For authors in this point do vary ; 

Some call him Roaf, some Will, some Harry, 

But I incline, for private reason, 

To call him Oamfrey, at this season ; 



144 THE FLYING DRAGON AND 

And sometimes Noamp perhaps may fit, 
As suits my rhyme, or helps my wit. 
But on he comes ; — and Fame rehearses 

His nose, two feet before his is ; 

A trusty knob-stick fill'd his hand, 

And thought no power cou'd him withstand 

When lo ! — his lifted eyes assail 

A long, black thing ! with wings and tail ! 

The wings quick moving with the wind ; 

The tail in curls, turned up behind : 

So Oamfrey stops his sauntering course, 

And unto musing had resourse. 

Then stamped his knob-stick on the ground, 

And crying in amaze profound, 

Fth neme o' Jesus, say — whot' art ; 

That two black tungs fro meawth con dart? 

Whooas twisted body's like the hurn 

O' that gem'd beeost the Unicorn ! 

I say, whot art ? Ith' neme o' God ? — 

My stick shall — howd — I've heard a rod 

Of willow will demolish soon 

The direst snake below the moon. 

With that stout Noamp his thwittle drew, 
And on the edge three times he blew ; 
Then from the hedge he, in a crack, 
Brings a tough willow with him back ; 
But whilst the leaves he from it strips, 

Across the lane the Dragon skips ! 
Quoth he — I see theaw'rt marching off, 
Boh howd o bit ; — this willow tough 



THE MAN OF HEATON. 145 

Shall, if strength fail not, stop thy flight ; 
He strikes the pig-tail with his might, 
And cry's out boh — ! then quick returns ; 
Then gives a stroke — then backward runs, 
The monstrous animal up flew, 
And Oamfrey starting, quick withdrew : 
His eyes oth' stare ; his face grew pale ; 
With open mouth he viewed the tail, 
Which briskly wantoned in the wind ; 
Then swore — It's of the dragon-kind ! 

On deep reflection he grew tardy, 
And thought it sin to be fool-hardy. 
If I con seve meh sell, quoth he, 
Whot's Flying-Dragons unto me ? 
There con no wisdom be I trow, 
In feighting things we dunnaw know ; 
For should it chonce fly e meh fece 
I'm deeo'd os tripe — witheawt God's grece ; 
So Oamfrey he the wand threw down, 
Took up his stick, and march'd for town. 



PART III. 

Two roods he had not gone before, 
A blast of wind the monster bore, 
Within two yards of Oamfrey's stick, 
Which vex'd our hero to the quick. 
Quo Noamp, be this I plenely see 
It mun be oather to thee or me : 

13 



146 THE FLYING DRAGON AND 

And sin 'tis so, I'll never run, 
Boh kill or dee before eh done. 

Then in a passion, from his hand 
He threw his stick, and fetched the wand ; 
And poor pig-tail with courage fresh, 
And all his might began to thresh ; 
But still the Dragon kept the field 
Cocked up his tail, and scorned to yield. 

This furious combat by report, 
Did last till Oamfrey's stick grew short, 
And a cessation, as fame reckons, 
Continued, till he got fresh weapons, 
But Oamfrey having luck to find 
A weapon to his murdering mind, 
Says softly thus unto himself, 
Theaw feights for honour, not for pelf; 
And if theaw gets this direfoo beawt, 
Thy feme will bleze, an ne'er goo eawt. 

Then hemming twice — spits on his hand, 
And snatches up the magic wand, 
ResoVd to do a feat to brag on, 
So strikes with all his might the Dragon. 
And thus the battle was renew'd, 
And both sides to their tackle stood. 

Again fierce Oamfrey's stick did dwindle 
Into the length of common spindle ; 



THE MAN OF HEATON. 147 

But thinking now the battle gained, 
Because he with no blood was stain' d ; 
ResolVd to fetch another switch, 
To kill outright this Dragon-witch, 

Now while this third great duel lasted. 
Fierce Oamfrey' s strength was almost wasted. 
The Dragon too, now wanting breath, 
Had symptoms of approaching death ; 
And ev'ry member seemed to fail : 
He hardly stirring wing or tail ; 
For Boreas likewise tir'd at length, 
Had quite exhausted all his strength, 
And all was hush — so Fortune gave 
The field and battle to the brave ! 
And pig-tail lies as still as stone, 
As tho' to live it ne'er had known ; 
And thus the Dragon here was slain, 
Whilst Oamfrey lives to fight again. 



PART IV. 

Our hero's courage none can doubt ; 
Nor love of fame was he without, 
For when this glorious feat was done 
And such a victory fairly won, 
Ambitious Oamfrey in a crack, 
Put kersey coat on sweating back ; 



148 THE FLYING DRAGON AND 

And then with cautions stare he viewed 
The Dragon ; which he'd hacked and hew'd ; 
But still it proved above his ken, 
And as it might do, to wiser men. 

Here Oamfrey musters up his senses, 
And pride threw down all meek pretences ; 
So he resolv'd he'd boldly bear, 
In triumph, all the spoils of war. 
With this intent his ample foot 
Held down the pig-tail, whilst he put 
His stick within the frizzled hair, 
And thus before him did it bear. 

Ten furlongs he'd triumphing past, 
But met no mortal man or beast : 
When lo ! — he met with heart full gleesome, 
The Reverend Rector, stil'd of Heysham. 
The parson stared, whilst Oamfrey held 
The Dragon, which he'd lately kilPd : 
And after clearing up his weasand, 
He query' d thus, to know the reason. 

Why Oamfrey man ! what have you got 
Upon your stick ? That I know not. 
Where did you find the tawdry thing ? 
Tawdry ! — quo Noamp ! — why, 't has a sting. 
A sting, man — ! nay, no more than you : 
Byth' mass, good parson, that's naw true : 



THE MAN OF HEATON. 149 

Look at its tungs — ; its sting's ith tele, 

Or else I'm sure my senses fail. 

True ; — quoth his Rev'rence, that may be, 

And in that point we both agree : 

But if my eyes, like thine, don't fail, 

It is, tho' large, a French pig-tail. 

A pigtele, pars'n ! that's good fun : 

No moor thin bacco-pipe's a gun ; 

Why, 'twas alive ten minutes since, 

An that I'll swear, be King or Prince ; 

Nay, more thin that, it flew abeawt, 

And that no swine-tele, or his sneawt 

Cou'd ever doo, sin Noah's flood : 

An this I will maintene for good. 

The Hector laugh' d, and Noamp look'd sour, 
For to convince he wanted pow'r : 
Nor cou'd Noamp to his thoughts give vent, 
As anger cork'd up argument. 

His Rev'rence then began again 
To reason thus : Why, look ye man : 
This is black silk : and this is hair ; 
Feel — and believe — you need not stare. 
Not stare ? Why pars'n did naw you 
Affirm just neaw, o thing naw true ; 
Did naw yo sey it wur a pig-tele, 
Which 'tis no moor thin 'tis a snig-tele ; 
Why man ! but so they call the thing ; 
You see't has neither head nor sting : 

13 § 



150 THE FLYING DRAGON. 

These ribbands are to tye it on, 
As you shall see, Fll do anon. 

His Reverence then his wig took off, 
And Noamp began to hem and congh ; 
His doubts he found to disappear, 
And that he'd got wrong sow by th' ear : 
For as the parson was adjusting, 
Things grew the more, and more disgusting. 
But when he put o'er all his wig ; 
" The D— 1 ta'' yer tele o' pig !— 
What sense is there e tele so black, 
That's teed toth' heeod, an rows o'th back : 
If they'd ha things weh netur jump, 
The tele shou'd awlus ston o'th rump ; 
That fok moot know oytch foolish brat 
For munkey greyt, or meawntin cat. 
Boh gawbies neaw gin kers'n nemes 
To things, naw hardly fit for flames." 
So Oamfrey grumbling budgd away, 
But neither bad good night, or day. 

The Rector laugh' d, and laugh' d again 
At Oamfrey' s notions thro' the scene ; 
And took the pig -tail with him home, 
For sport to friends in time to come ; 
And keeps it to this very day 
At Heysham, as many authors say. 






A GLOSSARY OF WORDS AND PHRASES 

CHIEFLY USED AND UNDEESTOOD IN THE ETJEAL 
DISTEICTS OE SOUTH LANCASHIEE ; 

BEING THE 

GLOSSARY OF TIM BOBBIN. 

REVISED, CORRECTED, AND CONSIDERABLY ENLARGED. 



By SAMUEL BAMFORD. 



A GLOSSARY OF WORDS AND PHRASES. 



Note. — Obs. for obsolete . . r.w. for rhyme with . . pi. for plural. 



Ab, abby, Abraham. 

Abe, alone, quiet. " Let meh abe." Dont interfere 

with me. 
A'bbo, aye but. "Abbe- aw conno," — aye, but I 

cannot. 
Abdon, above, more. 
Abedwt, about, near to. 
Acceawnt, account. 
A' cum, acorn. 
A'ctilly, actually. 

Ackersprit, a potato with roots at both ends. 
Acwdrd, accord; acwordin, according. 
Addle, to earn; dddlt, earned; ad' dim, earning. 
Addo, labour, pains-taking. "They maydn mitch 

adoo on him." 
Adzdoks, adzouks, exclamations. 
After ins, the latter milk from a cow. 
Agdit, in the performance of a thing. 
Agen, again. 
Agog, desirous, earnest. 
Aighs, an adze. 
Ail, to be ill ; ailment, illness. 
Aint, aunt; ainty, aunty. 
Alley, a white marble to play with. 
An, and ; also article, an. 



154 GLOSSARY. 

A'ncliv, ancle. 

Annent, opposite to. 

Appern, apron, a part of dress. 

A'ppo, an apple. 

Ar, are. 

Ark, a large cliest. 

Arnt, errand. 

Arr, a mark, a scar. 

A rr an, arrant, downright, notorious. 

A r rsewood,~\ , , -, .„. 

a, 7 > backward, unwilling. 

Arsey-vdrsy, heels over head. 

A'rto, art thou ? artono, art thou not ? 

^4#, ask; «#/, asked; dxin, asking. 

A'sker, a newt. 

Ashe, ask ; dshin, asking ; asht, asked ; ashn, plural 

of ask. 
Ashelt, likely, probable, (obs.) 
Ashler, free -stone. 
Astite, as soon, (obs.) 
Athdtns, in that way ; in that manner. 

u/ii, } that wiu - 

At t, at it. 

Aw, I, as " aw went/' 

Awf, an elf; a sprite. 

Aw'kert, awkward. 

Awlung, all owing to, occasioned by. 

Awlus, always. 

Awmeety, Almighty. 

Awnsert, answered. 

Awse, to offer ; awst, offered ; dwsin, offering. 

Awsler, ostler. 

Awt-upon-the, out upon thee. 



GLOSSARY. 155 

Awts, refuse of hay ; left meat. 

A'wtter, to alter; dwttert, altered; dwiterin, altering, 

Aw'ttercdshun, altercation. 

Awvish, queer, peevish. 

Aye, yes. 

Bab, a babe ; a picture or print in a book. 

Bdb-rags, clothes for a doll; playthings. 

Bobby, a babe. 

Bdcco, tobacco. 

Bdckurt, backward. 

Bailie, a bailiff. 

Bdckin, the slope of a rampart, of a fence of earth. 

Badger, a provision dealer. 

Bag gin, bagging; lunch. 

Bdggin time, lunch time. 

Bales tone, bakestone. 

Bdley or barley, to bespeak, " aw baley that." 

Ball, the stem of a tree. 

Bdllis, bellows. 

» Bally, belly. 
Bdlly-warch, belly ache. 
Ban, to curse. 

Bandy Mwit, an ironical term applied to a dog. 
Bang, to beat, also to excel ; " that bangs o." 
Bdngin, great, excelling. 
Bdnkreawt, bankrupt. 
Bdrkle, to stick to ; to adhere. 
Bar kit, covered with dirt adhering. 
Barm, yeast. 

Bdrm-skin, a leathern apron. 
Barn, a child. 
Bant, a string, a cord. 
Bant tin, a infant. 



156 GLOSSARY. 

Bdntin, cord, small twine. 

Barst, burst. 

Baste, to beat, to saturate meat whilst roasting. 

Bdstin, beating, saturating. 

Bdstert, bastard. 

Bdstertly, like a bastard. 

Bdstert ly GiUlion, child of a bastard. 

Batt, to beat ; bdttin, beating. 

Bate, to abate; to diminish. 

Bdtement, a subtraction, an allowance. 

Batter, liquid paste. 

Bdttril, a strong flat piece of hard wood, with which 
women used formerly to batt or beat their linen 
when washing. It was also occasionally used to 
stretch or smooth linen, which was wrapped tightly 
round it, and pressed by a weight being placed on 
the top. Sometimes the good dames would eco- 
nomise time, by sitting upon the linen and battril, 
whilst they gossiped, or carded wool, or knitted 
hose. 

Bawk, abeam of timber; also to baulk, disappoint. 

Bawks, timbers, beams; disappointments. 

Bdivkin, disappointing. 

Bawm, the herb balm. 

Bawtert, dirtied, plastered with mud. 

Bdwtry, dirty, miry. 

Be, by ; belddy, by our lady. 

Beawl, to bowl ; beawls, bowls ; beawlin, bowling. 

Beawlt, bowled ; bedwltn, pi. of bowled. 

Beawn, going to set off. 

" Awm beawn to start." 
" Awm beawn to Rachda." 

Beawnc, to bounce ; aw beawnce, pi. we beawncn. 

Bedwncer, bouncer. 



GLOSSARY. 157 

Bedwnty, bounty. 

Beawt, without; "beawt shoon." 

Becdse, because. 

Bed-geawn, a woman's open vest, with sleeves. 

Bed-stid, bedstead. 

Bee-boe, a child's cradle, or going to sleep. 

Been, active, nimble. 

Beest, milk yielded after calving. 

Beest' n, a place in Cheshire. 

Beet, to kindle ; " beet th' foyer." Also a herb. 

Beetin, kindling ; beetn, kindle ; beetnt, we kindled. 

Beet-need, one applied to in need only. 

Beetin-bobbin, a bobbin with thread on, from which a 

weaver pieces his warp. 
Beezum, a broom. 

Begdnf , began to ; begun?, begun to. 
Behint, behund, behunt, be-ind, behind. 
Behdud, behold. 
Behdud'n, beholden, obligated. 
Belddy, by our lady the virgin. 
Belladen, near Edenfield. 
Beldkins, a common interjection. 
Belike, surely; "he'll do it belike." 
Bell, to roar, to cry out. 

Bellin, roaring ; belVd, roared ; belln, pi. of bell. 
Bellart, a bull's ward. 
Berm, yeast. 
Berr, force, impetus. 
Berrid, buried. 

Best bib and tucker, best female garments. 
Besses, Betsy's. 
Besses oth' barn, at Prestwich. 
Bet, Betsy. 
Bethought, recollected ; called to mind. 

14 



158 GLOSSARY. 

Better, better ; the accent strong on the first syllable. 

Beyed, behead, decapitate. 

Bezzil, embezzle, purloin. 

Bezzilt, purloined; put aside. 

Bib, a child's breast-cloth. 

Bibbin, tippling ; bibber, a tippler ; bibbn, pi. of bib. 

Bigg, to build ; " he biggd yon heawse." 

Biggin, a house, a building ; bigg'n, pi. of bigg. 

Bill, a hedging- tool ; the beak of a bird ; also William. 

Bin, been ; r.w. with in. 

Binn, a chest for provender ; a wine-stack. 

Birch, a hamlet near Middleton. 

Birkle, Birtle, as now erroneously spelled, a place 
near Bury. 

Bis hup, a child's pin-a-fore. 

Bit, a small part. 

BUN -mass, by the mass ; a common exclamation. 

Bit'ter, bitter; the accent strong on the first syllable. 

Bitter bump, the bittern. 

Bla, to bleat ; bldin, bleating ; blaan, they bleat. 

Blab, to tattle; bldbbin, tattling; blabn, they tattle. 

Bldchinworth, a hamlet near Rochdale. 

Bldckstondge, a ridge dividing Lancashire and York- 
shire. 

Blain, a small boil, a sore. 

Slash, a flash ; a sudden burst ; " a blash o foyer." 

Blaunders, the glanders in a horse. 

Bleawz, a blouse, a slop. 

Bledwzy, dull, stupid, drowsy. 

Bleb, a blob, a small bubble. 

Bledder, bladder. 

Bleffin, a block of wood. 

Bleffin-yed, a blockhead. 

Blether, to blubber, to cry ; bletherin, crying. 






GLOSSARY. 159 

Blid, blood; " Odds-blid," a common interjection. 
Blinkert, a blinkard, blind of one eye; near sighted. 
Blob, to tattle ; bldbbin, tattling ; blobd, tattled ; blobn, 

pi. of blob ; bldbber, one who blobs, a bubble. 
Blonk, blank. 
Blozzmn, blossom. 
Blund, past tense of blind. 
Blurr, a blot, an abrasion. 
Bluz, to chafe, to rub, to abrade. 
Bo', but. " Abbo' aye but." 
Bdady, bawdy, obscene. 
Boe, a dumpling; "a pot-boe;" also a bow; also a 

ball to play with. 
Bdadle, haif a farthing. 
Bdb'bersom, obtrusive, impatient. " Dunno be so 

bobbersome." 
Bodrshaiv, Boarshaw cloof, near Middleton, 
Bdckin, coarse flannel. 
Bode, bald ; also bawd. 
Bode-yed, bald head. 
Boof, bough of a tree, shaft of a cart ; boovs, boughs, 

shafts. 
Bog, a bug, a louse; the o sounded broad. 
Boggart, a spirit, an apparition. 
Boggart-hole, a place in Blakeley. 
Boggle, to hesitate, to be afraid. 
Boh or bo, the aspiration short ; but. 
Boll, a boggart. 

Boll howt, Boll-holt, near Bury. 
Bonk, bank, a slope. 
Bonk-full, bank-full. 

Bonny, handsome, charming. • 

Bon'ny-broo, Bonny-brow at Rhodes, Middleton. 
Bdrrod, borrowed. 






160 GLOSSARY. 

Bdskin, a stall in a shippon. 

Boose, cow's stall. 

Boss, a fat lazy woman ; ' ( lazy boss/' " brawsn boss/' 

are common terms of reproach. 
Soother, a boulder, a stone. 
Bootherstone, Bolderstone, near Rochdale. 
Botch, to mend clumsily. 
Bo'th', but the. 
Bowe, a bowl, a vessel. 
Bowd, bold. 

Bowlee, near Middleton. 

Bowster, bolster, a pillow ; a carriage for timber. 
Bowt, to bolt, to run away ; also a bolt of iron ; and 

bought. 
Bowt rushes, the finest of rushes, from which are 

made the ornamental bowts (bolts) for rush carts ; 

Thunner-bowt is the fall of lightning; and Ed- 

ther-bowt is the dragon fly. 

Boy' em, to rince, to wash out. 

Boy'ernt, rinced, washed. 

Boyernin, rincing. 

Brabble, 1 

Brdbblement, i , , ,- e n- 

„ ^ 7 ' > squab blins : iallms: out. 

Brangle, I 

Brdnglement, 

Br add, spread abroad. 

Brdggot, new ale spiced and sugared, (obs.) 

Braid, bread. 

Braid-flake, a corded frame hung from the ceiling, 
on which the flat oaten cakes used in Lancashire 
are placed to dry and become brittle. 

Brdndlesome, near Bury. 

Brdndwood, a district in Rossendale. 

Brass, copper money. 






GLOSSARY. 161 

Brast, "\ i , 

Brasted, J 

Brat, a child ; also an apron. 

Brattle, to spend money on trifles ; to dissipate pro- 
perty. " He 's brattlt o' away." 

Brdwsn, stuffed with meat, gorged. 

Brazent, brazen, impudent. 

Breawn, brown, a colour. 

Bree, the liquor of a stew. 

Breed, frightened. "He's quite breed." 

Breek, brick, also bricks. 

Breer, briar. 

Breether, brother, (obs.) 

Brekfust, breakfast. 

Brewert, sprouting of vegetables. " Yo'n a fine 
brewert o' potatoes." 

Brewis, oat -cake toasted, and soaked in strong broth 
or stew ; or the bree of swine's meat. 

Brewster, a brewer. 

Breyd, a shelf; also to spread. 

Brid, a bird. 

Briggs, irons to set over the fire, (obs.) 

Brim, the rim, the edge of a thing. 

Brim-ful, full to the rim. 

Briridlt, of mixed colours. " Thrice the brindled cat." 

Brit chit, brittle. 

Broddle, to assume, to swagger. " See heaw he 
broddles." 

Brodlin, assuming, swaggering. 

Brodlin-fussuck, an ignorant, presuming woman. 

Brog, a swampy place, (obs.) 

Brdggin, to fish for eels, with a pole, a line, and plum- 
met, or by putting a hoose and worm on a small 
twig, and thrusting them into holes where eels lie. 
(This term is either obsolete or but little used.) 

14 § 



162 GLOSSARY. 

Brdkn, broken. 

Br oo, brow of a hill, the forehead. 

Brone, a boar. 

Bruck, brook. 

Bruit, to make a talk of. 

Bruited, much talked about. 

Brun, burn ; brunt, burned ; brunnin, burning. 

Brunedg'e, Burnedge, a place in Crompton. 

Bryed, to spread. 

Bryedth, breadth. 

Bryedin, spreading. 

Bryedn, pi. of spread. 

Bryem, & bream, a fish. 

Bryeth, breath. 

Bryethin, breathing. 

Bryethn, pi. of breathe, 

Bruzzd, bruised, chafed, abraded. 

Buckth, bulk, size. 

Bute, handle of a pot, or other utensil. 

Bulloe, a sloe ; a wild plum. 

Buerdshill, a place in Castleton. 

Bund, bound. 

Bunhedge, a hedge of twisted sticks. 

Bunhorns, briars to wind woollen yarn upon. 

Bunfoyer, a fire in the open air, and probably named 

from the circumstance of the wood and coal being 

given in small portions as boons. 
Bunt, to take home weaver's work. 
Buntin, taking home work. 
Buoy, to buy; pronounced as buoy, a sea-mark. 
Buoy em, to wash out ; to rince a vessel. 
Buoyernt, washed out, rinced. 
Buoy I, a boil, a sore. 
Buoyl, to boil water. 
Buoylin, boiling. 






GLOSSARY. 163 

Buoylt, boiled. 

Burly, thick, clumsy, powerful. " A great burly felly." 

Burly -mon, an officer appointed at courts -leet, to exa- 
mine and determine respecting disputed fences. 

Burr, the flower of the large water-dock ; the head of 
a thistle. 

Burn, a burden. " A great burn to carry." 

Busk, to dress smartly. " Come, bask the op." Also 
a piece of flat wood worn in front of women's stays 

Busk, from Bosk, the name of a place on North-moor, 
near Oldham. 

Buss, a kiss. 

Butter, butter ; pronounced with a stress on the first 
syllable — but'-ter. 

Buttery, a place to keep butter in ; a pantry. 

Bwon, a bone ; bwony, bony. 

Bwort, a board; bwordin, boarding; bwordn, pi. of 
board. 

Bwoth, both. 

Byedlam, bedlam. 

Byeds, beads. 

Byegle, beagle, a hound. 

Byek, beak of a bird. 

Byem, a beam, timber. 

Byen, a bean, pi. byen. 

Byern-sha, Bearnshaw, near Cliviger. 

Byert, beard. 

Byet, to beat. 

Byetn, beaten. 

Byetin, beating. 

Byes, beasts. 

By est, a beast. 

Byth y , by the , as " byth' mass," " byth' mon. 

By'zen, blind, (obs.) 



)) 



164 GLOSSARY. 

Cackle, to prate ; to talk over much. 

Cadge, to stuff the belly, also to beg. 

Cadger, a beggar. 

Cdldermoor, near Littleborough. 

Cam, to wear awry. 

Cam'beshur, a farm in Heaton, 

Cam'bril, the heel ; the fetlock. 

Cam'd, awry, cross, ill-natured. 

Camperknows, ale pottage, in which are put sugar, 
spices, &c. (obs.) 

Cdnkart, ill-tempered, peevish. 

Cank, to talk about a thing ; cankin, chatting. 

Cdnkin-pleck, a place to cank in. 

Cant, cheerful, comfortable. 

Canty, cheerful, chatty. 

Cap, to out-do, to exceed. " That caps o." 

Cdppil, a patch on a shoe. 

Car'n, the pi. of care. " We car'n." 

Cark, to be careful, anxious. 

Cdreno, care not. 

Cdrlins, boiled peas eaten on Care Sunday, the Sun- 
day before Palm Sunday. 

Cdrrid, carried. 

Car r in, ~] 

„, ' > carrion. 

Carron, J 

Carry, red, curdy, rusty. 

Cdrr-weatur, red curdy water. 

Cdrry-pleck, a place boggy with carr-water. 

Casey-moor, Kersal-moor. 

Cat -hole, a place in Uns worth. 

Cdtter, to lay up, to provide. 

Cdtterwawin, courting, keeping company as lovers. 

Cdwbruck, Calderbrook, near Littleborough, 

Cdwthermoor, Caldermoor, near Littleborough. 



GLOSSARY. 165 

Cawve, or Kawve, a calf. 

Ceaw or Keaw, a cow. 

Cedwper, a cooper. 

Cedwnsil, counsel. 

Ceawrse, course, to run a hare. 

Cedwnter, a slow gallop, also a counter, a bench. 

Cedwslaver, silly, nonsensical talk. 

Ceckle, to retort impertinently. 

Chaff, to chew, (obs.) 

Chap, a man. " Yon chap." 

Char, to work at occasional jobs. 

Cham, a churn. 

Cham-curdle, a churn staff. 

Cheamber,~] 1 , 
m 7 ^chamber. 
Cnoamoer,J 

Chen, chain. 

Chep, cheap. 

Chepn, cheapen. 

Chett, cheat; chetter, cheater. 

Cheer, chair. 

Cheyney, China ware. 

Chieve, to prosper (obs.) 

Chink, to cough violently. 

Chinkin, coughing ; the chink-cough. 

Ctiilther, children. 

Chimley, chimney. 

Chilt, child ; ch'ilder, children. 

Choance, chance. 

Choange, change. 

Chomp, to chew. 

Chompin, chewing. 

Choke, chalk, also to suffocate. 

Chops, the cheeks. 

Chdughin-yed, a blockhead. 



166 GLOSSARY. 

Chuck , a hen, a word to call hens. 

Chunner, to grumble, to murmur. 

Churn- get ting, a nightfeast after harvest. 

Churn-m'ilk, buttermilk. 

Clack, a wordy noise. 

Clap, to put a thing in a place. 

Clate, clatter, tiresome prate. 

Clatter, a noise, a racket. 

Cleaw, a flood-gate at a water-course. 

Cleawd, a cloud ; cledwdy, cloudy ; cledwdin, clouding. 

Cledivkin, clewkin, twine, cledwkin-grin a gamesnare 

of twine. 
Cleawn, a clown. 
Cleawt, a clout, a patch. 
Cledwted, patched. 
Cledwtin, patching. 
Cleawt ch, to clutch. 
Cleaw'tches, clutches. 
Cleaw tchn, we clutch. 
Cleek, to catch at hastily. 
Cleekin, catching. 

Clem, to starve for want of food ; clem'd, famished. 
Clemmin, famishing. 
Clinker, a strong nail for shoes. 
Clip, to embrace, to cling around the neck ; clipn, pi. 

of clip. 
Clivver, clever. 
Cloakn, the sharp part, cramp of a horse-shoe ; coakn, 

the same. 
Clockin, clucking of a hen. 
Clocks, ornaments woven into a stocking. " He's 

stockings wi clocks." 
Clod, to throw missiles. 
Cloddin, throwing casting stones. 



GLOSSARY. 167 

Clodn, pi. of clod. 

Chlog, clog, a shoe with a wooden bottom; the o 

sounded broad and full, as in doe, roe, woe. 
Chlog yy, glutinous, adhesive. 
Clooas, clothes. 
Cloise, close, near to. 
Cloyse, a closure, a field. 
Cloof, a clough, a cleft, a hollow place. 
Cldzzum, to embrace, to hold fast, to clutch ; cldzzums, 

embraces, clutches; cldzzumt, clutched; pi. cloz- 

zumn. 
Clum, climed ; pi. clumn. 
Clutter, to crowd together. 
Cluttert, strewed thickly, as " th' feelt is cluttert wi 

daisies." 
Coakn, the sharp part of a horse-shoe. 
Cob, a lump, a piece of coal ; also to exceed, to sur- 
pass, as " that cobs o ; " " that's a cobber." 
Cock, a heap, a prominence; "a hay-cock." 
Cockers, stockings. 
Coddle, to parboil. 
Coddlt, parboiled. 

Cddlin, parboiling ; also a particular sort of apple, 
Coe, to call by name, also to asperse, as " he co'd 

him finely." 
Collop, a slice, as " collop o ? beak'n," a slice of bacon. 
Colly hurst, near Manchester. 
Comm, to comb ; pi. comn. 
Coom, came ; pi. coomn. 
Cooth, a cold. 

Comn, Is come, as " I am comn," " they are comn." 
Con, can ; con' to, canst thou ; cdn'tono, canst thou not; 

cdn'no, cannot; con' -ha', can have; cdn'-ni, can I? 
Cdnny, agreeable, snug. 



168 GLOSSARY. 

Cdtidle, to get angry ; probably from, kindles. " Lord 

heaw lie condles." 
Consdrn, concern; consarnin, concerning. 
Cdnstre, to construe. 
Cop, a ball of spnn thread. 
Copster, a spinner. 

Cdpthroad, a singular elevation of rock near Rochdale. 
Coppi-nook, a place near Oldham. 
Cde'say, a causeway. 
Cdr-kin-pin, a large pin. 
Co's'tn,pl. of cost. 
Cdstril, a small barrel. 
Cote, a cot, a small cottage. 
Cotter, a pin to fasten a bolt. 
Cotter t, fastened, secured. 
Cowd, cold ; also raked together. " He's cowd it ov 

a rook." 
Cowd-hurst, Cold-hurst, on North Moor, Oldham. 
Cowd-greave, Cold-greave, near Rochdale. 
Cowfe, to cough. 

Cow'hi, a straining to vomit. (Probably obs.) 
Cowm, near Rochdale. 
Cown, Colne in Lancashire. 
Cowe-rake, a rake for ordure or mud, 
Cowt, a colt; cowtish, frisky, colt-like. 
Coy is, coals ; coyl-rook, coal-deposit. 
Crag-clbof, at Chadderton. 
Crdcklin, a thin cake. 
Cramd, snappish, ill-tempered. 
Crap, money, " My crap's o' done." 
Cratch, a rack for hay. 
Crdtchinly' , feebly, weakly. 
Creatur, creature. 
Creawd, crowd. 






GLOSSARY. 169 

Creawn, crown. 

Credivntn, we crowned. 

Creaivse, amorous, lascivious. 

Creaivtch, to crouch. 

Creel, frame to wind yarn upon ; also a spotted hen 

of a particular breed. 
Creem, to give privately. " Aw creemt-nip a bit." 
Creemt, put aside privately. 

Crib, a pen for a calf; a small house, or apartment. 
Crick, a local pain ; a tension. " A crick ith neck." 
Cric'ket, a low seat ; a log of wood used to sit upon. 

" Poo that cricket to'th' foyer." 
Crill, to shiver, to chill; crilly, chilly. 
Crim'ble, to crumble ; also a place near Rochdale. 
Crink, a pain in the neck, a stiffness. 
Crin'kle, to bend under a weight ; to rumple a thing. 
Croe, a crow, a rook ; to crow as a cock. 
Croddy, or craddy, a feat, a surpassing act, a challenge. 

" There's a croddy ; " " he set em o' a croddy." 
Crom, to cram ; crompy, full of action, restless. 

" He's very crompy." 
Crom'pton, a township betwixt Oldham and Rochdale. 
Cronk, the note of a raven; cronky, rough, uneven. 
Cronky-shdy, Cronky-shaw, a rough barren moor, 

near Rochdale. 
Crony, a true companion. 
Crope, crept ; croppn, have crept. 
Crud, to curdle ; cruds, curdled milk ; cruddy, curdy; 

cruddle, to break into curds. 
Crummy, crumbly, falling to crumbs. 
Crummil, Cromwell. 
Crumpy, to be out of humour. 
Crumsa, Crumpsal, as now erroneously spelled ; 

formerly Crummesall, a township near Manchester. 

15 



170 GLOSSARY. 

Crunner, coroner. 

Cruttle, to bend, to sink down from weakness. " He 

cruttlt to'th' yerth;'' pi. cruttltn. 
Cryez, the crease; measles. 

Cub, a whelp ; an ignorant, presuming young person. 
Cubbort, a cupboard. 
Cuckud, a cuckold. 
Cud, could. 
Cudn, pi. of cud. 

Cudd, food part digested, of a cow. 
Cuddle, to embrace, to fondle. 
Cudto, couldst thou? cudtono, cudst thou not; pi. cudn. 

culler, colour; cullert, coloured. 
Cumber t, cumbered. 

Cunnin, cunning; Cunnin - corner , a place in Saddle worth. 
Cup o' sneeze, a pinch of snuff, [pbs] 
Cum, corn. 

Curtner, a curtain; curtners, curtains. 
Cute, acute, quick, penetrative ; cutely, acutely, 

quickly ; cuteniss, acuteness. 
Cutter, to make much of, as a fowl of her young. 
Cioord, a cord ; cwordin, cording, twine ; cworded, 

corded. 
Civorse, coarse. 
Cwot, coat. 
Cyelin, ceiling. 

Dab, a blow ; also to be quick at anything, u a dab 

hond." 
Ddcker, tickle, unsettled. 
Dad, father (Tad, Celtic.) 
Dade, to hold a child suspended under the arms, 

whilst learning to walk ; to uphold. 
Dddin, upholding a child. 



GLOSSARY. 171 

Dddin-strengs, soft, thick bands or strings, from 

which a child depends when essaying to walk. 
Ddddle, to stagger like a child. 
Ddffock, a dirty slattern. 

Dagg, to plash, to bemire garments in walking. 
Daggle, to trail in mire. 
Ddgg-tail, a dirty slattern. 
Dalt, dealed, allotted ; dalfn, we dealed. 
Dandle, to play with j to fondle a child. 
Dandy, a pert, consequential fellow ; a bantam fowl. 
Dane, down, a hollow ; Booth-dane, near Rochdale. 
Ddngin, banging, striking. 
Ddngus, a slattern. 
Dank, damp ; donk, the same. 
Dar, dare : darno, dare not : darto, darest thou. 
Ddrtond, darest thou not? 
Ddteliss, senseless, fatuitous. 
Ddwnger, danger. 
Dazed, confused, amazed. 
Deawk, to stoop suddenly in order to avoid a blow. 

" He deawkt deawn, an it mist him." 
Dedivkin, stooping ; pi. deawkn. 
Deawm, dumb. 
Deawn, down; deawnin, downing, the finishing of a 

weaver's warp. 
Dedsunt, decent. 
Deawt, doubt ; dyaivt, the same : chiefly so expressed 

about Todmorden. 
Dee, die ; deein, dying ; pi. deedn. 
Dellit, close of day, dusk. 
Deet, to daub, to smear; deeted, daubed; deetin, 

daubing, pi. cleetn. 
Degg, to wet, to sprinkle, to water plants. 
Deggin, watering, 



172 GLOSSARY. 

Devedwer, devour. 

Dhog, dog ; the o sounded broad and full, as in roe, 
woe, foe, and not according to the common pro- 
nunciation, aug, thereby producing the refined 
term, daug. 

Didto, didst thou? 

Didtono, didst thou not ? 

Didn'yo, did you ? 

Didnyonb, did you not ? 

Din, a noise. 

Ding, to knock, to strike, to reiterate an accusation ; 
the ing sounded as in ring, " Hoo kept ding in 
him op." 

Din 1 gin, upbraiding, making a noise. 

Dinge, to indent, to make a hollow, to batter. 

Dingt, beaten, indented. 

Dingle, a valley, with water running at the bottom. 

Disdctly, exactly, (obs.) 

Dither, to shiver, to tremble ; dithert, trembled ; 
ditherin, trembling ; pi. dithertn. 

Ddbby, Robin, Robert. 

Dobbin, a machine for weaving figures. 

Doance, to dance. 

Do age, wet, damp. 

Doe, to be healthful. 

Doein, being in health. 

Doesum, healthy. 

Doekin, dull, stupid. 

Doekinly, stupidly. 

Doff, to put off" dress. 

Doffin, undressing; pi. doffnt. 

Doff- cocker, a place near Bolton. 

Doldrum, a place near Rochdale. 

Dole, a gift, a charity. 



GLOSSARY. 173 

Dollt,~] -, t -, 

Dalit,) ioleA - 

Dollt'in, doling, dividing. 

Donk, damp, wet. 

Don, to put on ; to dress. 

Done, r.w. with hone, the down of feathers. 

Doo, do ; dooin, doing. 

Ddntles, things to be don'd, 

Dossuck, a slovenly woman. 

Dossy, a slnt. 

Dothe, do the ; " clothe yon wark," do thee yonder 

work. 
Dowf, dough; dowfy, doughy. 
Dowtter, daughter, 
Doytch, a ditch; doytchin, ditchin; doytch-back, a 

rampart above a ditch. 
Dozin, slumbering. 
Draff, grains of malt. 

Draight or Dreyght, a draught ; a drinse ; a team. 
Drape, a cow which has ceased to yield milk. 
Dreawps, drops. 

Dreawn, drown ; dreawnt, drowned. 
Dredwsy, drowsy. 

Dree, long, tedious, protracted ; " a dree road." 
Dreely, deliberately, slowly. 
Drey, to draw. 
Dreijin, drawing. 
Drip pins, milk yielded the last. 
Droy, to dry with a cloth, thirsty. 
Dry'ed, dread; dryedfid, dreadful. 
Dry'em, dream; dryempt, dreamed; pi. dryemtn. 
Dud, did ; dudn, we did. 
Dule, devil; Dule-gate, a pass betwixt Todmorden 

and Bacup. 

15 § 



174 GLOSSARY. 

Duck, to go under water, to stoop suddenly. 

Dule-hole, a place near Rochdale. 

Dumps, a thoughtful, concerned mood. 

Dumpy, short, thick, plump. 

Dun, done, completed. 

Dunn, a colour, a pale brown. " Meawse cullur dunn." 

Dunno, do not. 

Dunnoyb, do you not ? 

Dunnuck, a hedge-sparrow. 

Dur, a door ; dur -cheek, a door-post. 

Durn, a gate stump. 

Durstone, a doorstone. 

Durt, dirt ; durty, dirty. 

Dyed, dead. 

Dyef, deaf. 

Dyel, a deal, many. 

Dyeth, death. 

Edry, every. 

Edwer, our. 

E aw ere, however. • 

Eawl, an owl : Eawl-hole, the hole in a barn or other 
building, through which an owl passes and repasses, 
in going to and from its roosting place. 

Edwler, an owler, the alder tree. 

Eawnce, ounce. 

Eawt, out; Eawt -comer, one from another district. 

Edwther, author; (Awder, Cymraeg.) 

E'ccles, icicles. 

E'dther or Edder, adder. 

E'dther-bowt, the dragon-fly. 

E'dther -crop, a spider ; (adargop, Cymraeg) . 

Ee, eye. 

Ee-bree, eyebrow. 



GLOSSARY. 175 

Ee-seet, eyesight. 

Eem, time, leisure ; " conto eem to do this job." 

Een, eyes ; also even, as " aw'll een go forrud." 

Een neaw, even now, directly. 

Eend, end ; awll see th' eend ont." 

Eend-way, and End- ways, towards the end. 

Eigh, aye, yes. 

Eet, did eat ; pi. eetn. 

Egad, or Igad; Egadlin or Igadlin, masked oaths. 

Eldw ! eh lord ! 

Elder, more likely; as, "heed elder speak to me," 

he would more probably speak to me; also a cow's 

udder. 
Elt, to stir oaten dough before baking (obs.) 
E'shin, a pale, (obs.) 
El sin, a sort of awl. 
Esshole, or Asshole, the hole under a fire, which 

holds ashes. 
Ettn, eaten. 
E'xen, oxen. 
Ey'ron, iron ; sometimes, eyurn. 

Fdddle, nonsense, trifling. 
Fadge, a burden ; part of a horse load. 
Fag, to tire ; fag gin, tiring. 
Fag'd, tired. 

Fag-end, the remnant; the waste piece. 
Fain, glad ; fainer, more glad. 
Fdir-fo, fair fall ; " good attend you." 
Fdiree, fairy. 
Fdirees, fairies. 

Famish, to starve of hunger ; pi. famislm. 
Fdngle, conceit, whim. " Whot new fangle has he 
neaw ? " 



176 GLOSSARY. 

Fdrrant, decent, respectable; farrantly, decently, 

be seemly. 
Fash, the tops of turnips ; waste. 
Fatter t, embarrassed ; nnhandy in doing a job ; " he's 

quite fattert.-" 
Fcittle, to trifle about business ; to pay slight atten- 
tions to a female. " See heaw he gvvos fattlin 

abeawt hur." 
Fattlin, trifling ; fatter, a trifler, a peddling fellow. 
Fdvvor, favour. 
Fawse, cunning, also false. 
Faivt, fault. 
Fdivtty, faulty. 
Fay berry, gooseberry. 

Feaw, foul, ugly ; " feawn-whean," an ugly woman. 
Feawl, a fowl. 
Feaw'nded, founded. 
Feaivntun, fountain. 
Feawritun -yed, fountain-head . 
Fefnicute, sometimes thefnicute, a hypocrite, a parasite, 

a hanger-on. 
Fegger, fairer. 
Feld, felt; pi. feldn. 
Feel, fell, ; " he feel deawn." 
Feelt, a field. 

Feerfo, fearful ; Feersuns-een, Shrovetide even. 
Felly, fellow ; also to swagger ; fellyin, domineering ; 

felly' 11, the man will; «th' felly'll pay yo." 
Feigh or Feygh, to move soil from the top of gravel 

or sand; to lay bare, to uncover a stratum, to 

remove earth; r.w. weigh. 
Fend; to provide for ; " he fends for his family." 
Ferrups, an exclamation. " Whot te ferrups arto 

dooin ! " 



GLOSSARY. 177 

Festn, to fasten, to bind. 

Fettle, to mend a thing, to repair ; also a condition, 
as " he's i' very good fettle." 

Feiv'trills, little things, small affairs. 

Feyght, to fight ; feyghtin, fighting • plural feyghtn ; 
r.w. with weight. 

Feyther, father ; feythurt, fathered ; feytherin, father- 
ing. 

Fhog, dried, withered grass. The o sounded as in 
dhog. 

Fhort, fault ; r. w. short ; " It's none omi f hort.' ' 

Fib, an untruth. 

Fist, a clenched hand. 

Fit her, feather ; r.iv. with wither. 

Flaight, a light turf. 

Flash, an old pit nearly grown up. 

Fldsker, to struggle, to flounder, to endeavour to 
elude. 

Flasket, a shallow basket. 

Flay, to frighten. " He quite flay'd meh." 

Fledwer, flour, also a flower. 

Fleaivnder, to flounder. 

Fledzy, dusty, linty, fibrous. 

Fleck, a spot ; fleckt, spotted. 

Flee, to flay, to skin. 

Fleem, flaying; pi. fleedn, 

Fleigh, a flea; fleighin, killing fleas. 

Fleet, to skim, to take cream from milk ; also swift. 

Flet, skimmed. 

Fleety, flighty, capricious. 

Flick, a flitch. 

Flirt' ders, small pieces, fragments. " It's broken into 
flinders." 

Flit, to remove ; flittin, removing; pi. flittnt. 

Fliz, a splinter ; flizzin, splintering. 



1 78 GLOSSARY. 

Floose or Fleeze, the flyings of wool or cotton. 

Flop, a noise of bursting. " It floppt off." 

Flother, redundance,, extravagance, inaptitude of dress 

or conversation. 
Flothery, tending to extravagance. " Whot flother 

he tawks." " Heaw flothery hoo looks." 
Flimter, confusion, disorder, hurry. 
Flush, to fly at, to set at, like game cocks. 
Flyr, to smile scornfully. "Whot arto flyrin at." 

il Theaw needsno' flyr athatn." 
Flyte or Flite, to scold; fly tin, scolding; flytnt, 

scolded ; flotn, they scolded. 
Foist, to stink. 

Foe, to fall; foen, fallen; foed, fell. 
Foke, folk, people. 
Follud, followed ; pi. follun. 
Foo, a fool; Foo-goad, a gaud, or plavthingfor a fool. 

(obs.) 
Foomurt, a polecat. 

Foote, the foot ; also a foot measure : r. w. hoot. 
Forgi. forgive ; forgim'mi, forgive me. 
Former, to order, to bespeak a thing. 
Forsartm, for certain, certainly, "Aye, for sartin 

will I." 
Forsuth, forsooth. 
Fort', for to ; to do a thing. 
Forrud, forward. 

Fdryet, to forget ; foryetin, forgetting ; foryetn, for- 
gotten. 
Fotch, fetch ; fotchn, we fetch ; Fotchnt, we did fetch. 
Fdther, fodder; fothern, do fodder; fothertn, did 

fodder. 
Fowd, a fold, a number of houses together ; a fold for 

cattle ; a fold of cloth ; also to fold up. 
Fox-Denton , a place near Oldham. 



GLOSSARY 179 

Foyer, fire ; foyer-place, the place where the fire is 
kept; foyer-eyrons, fire-irons; foyer -potter, a fire- 
poker. 

Frame, to set about doing a piece of work or other 
business, as "come begin a framin abeawt it." 
11 Heaw awkurtly theaw frames." 

Frumput, an iron ring that slips on a stake by which 
cattle are held in their stall. 

Frange, to be petulant and quarrelsome; frangy, 
pettish, snappish. 

Frdngin, disputing, quarreling. 

Frap, to quarrel ; frappin, disputing, quarreling. 

Frdppish, snappish, given to dispute. 

Fremd, not akin, a person residing with a family 
to which he is not related would be termed "a 
fremd;" if it were asked, is he akin to you? the 
answer would be, " nowe, he's nobbut a fremd 
body." 

Free melcht, free in giving milk; a good-natured 
person is said to be, " free-melct." 

Freet, fright. 

Freyd, fretted, like cloth much worn. 

Fridge, to rub, to scratch. 

Frist, trust, (obs.) 

Fro, from. 

Frough, tender, rather brittle, (obs.) 

Frawt, for aught, for anything. 

Frump, to sulk, to take offence ; frumps, sulks. 
" Whot's hoo taen th' frumps at ? " 

Fruns, frowns. C( Whot arto stickin opthe fruns at ?" 

Fruss, a fuss ; much ado about nothing. 

Fuddle, to tipple. 

Furst, first. 

Fund, found. 



180 GLOSSARY. 

Furr, farther ; furr end, the further end. 

Fussuck, a fat idle woman. 

Futtert, fluttered, confused, shiftless, hobshackled. 

Fyr, to fear, as " He fyrs meh ;" fyrin, fearing, 
causing fear ; fyrt, frightened ; fyrtn, they fright- 
ened. 

Fyrn, fern, a plant, 

Fyest, a feast ; fyestin, feasting, fyestn, they feast ; 
fyested, feasted. 



Ga, gave, as " he gameh." gan, the same ; gammeh, 

gave me. 
Gablock, a gavelock, an iron bar, a weapon. 
Gabble, confused talk. 
Gddlin I godlin ! an exclamation. 
Gadd, to run about. 
Gddster, one who gads. 
Gdffer, an aged man. 

Gaight, gave it ; gant, the same, " He gant meh." 
Gainer, nearer ; " That's a gainer road. ; 
Gdlker, a tub to hold wort. 
Galloway, a Scotch pony. 
Gdbloch, a gavelock. 
Gamm, sport, amusement ; also game. 
Gammer, an aged dame. 
Gan, gave ; gant, gave it. 
Gank, a deep narrow footway. 
Gap, an opening, a breach in a fence. 
Gap-stake, a stake that stops up a gap. 
Gdrlun, a garland. 
Garth, a hoop. 
Gaunt, lean, hungry. 
Gash, a slash, a wound. 



}) 



GLOSSARY. 181 

Gate, a road ; also a fence, a bar that opens. 

Gate-way, a road through a gate. 

Gdwby, a clown, a dunce. 

Gawm, to understand, to comprehend; gawmin, un- 
derstanding ; also considering, cogitating, " Whot 
arto gawmin abeawt." 

Gdwmble, to endeavour to comprehend. 

Gdwmblt, played the fool. 

Gdivmliss, without understanding. 

Gdwmblin, understanding imperfectly ; one who is a 
half-fool. 

Gawpe, to gape, to stare with open mouth. 

Gdwster, to boast. 

Gdwsterin, swaggering. 

Geaw, go. 

Geawl, ~\ v r -i 

^ " > matter exuding from tender eves. 

Geawm, J & J 

Geawlt, festered, scabbed. 

Geawn, gown. 

Geawrse, grass (this about Todmorden). 

Geawse, guess; geawst, guessed; geawstn, they gues- 
sed. 

Geawt, gout. 

Gee, to agree, to coincide, also a word meaning to go on, 

Geet, got ; geetn, we got ; getn, have got ; gee't, give 
it; gi, give. 

Gibberidge, gibberish. 

Giggle, to laugh ; giglin, laughin ; giglt, laughed ; 
gigln, we laugh ; gigler, one prone to giggle ; giglet, 
a blithe, lightsome young female. 

Gillers, lines of twisted hair, for fishing lines. 

Gill-hooter, an owl. 

Gim'mi, or Gimeh, give me. 

Gimmer, an old sheep. 

16 



182 GLOSSARY. 

Gim'let, a boring tool. 

Giwnil, a narrow covered passage ; an entry. 
Girn, to grin ; girnin, grinning ; girntn, they gran. 
Gleawm, gloom; gleawmy, gloomy; gleawmt, gloomed; 

gledwmin, glooming. 
Gley, to squint. 

Glendurt, stared ; looked in amaze. 
Glent, to glance ; glented, glanced ; glentin, glancing. 
Glis'ter, to glitter; glisterin, glittering; glistertn, 

they glittered. 
Glizzn, to sparkle; glizznt, sparkled, glittered; 

glizz'n, they sparkle. 
Gloor, to stare fatuitously; gloort, stared. 
Gloorin, staring. 
Gloor tn, they stared. 
Gloove, a glove. 
Goad, a gaud, an ornament ; also a custom, a way of 

doing a thing. " Nay theaw'll not act i'that goad, 

willto?" 
Goady, gaudy, fine. 
Go ant, gaunt; r. w. wont. 
Goart, wounded, gored. 
Gobb, a large piece of meat, a lump. 
Gdbbin, an ignorant, clownish person. 
Gob slot ch, a glutton. 
Godsnum, God's name. 
Goddil, God's-will. 
Golch, to swallow ravenously. 
Gonnor, a gander ; gonnoryed, a blockhead, a stupid 

person. 
Gooa, go ; " when wilto gooa;" gooan, gone; gooinf, 

going to. 
Gooddit, Shrovetide. 
Goder, a triangular piece of cloth stitched in a shirt. 






GLOSSARY. 183 

Good-lorjus-ddys, Good Lord Jesus, what days ! A 
common interjection. 

Gdodsha, Goodshaw near Bacup. 

Gdoin, going. 

Gooms, the gums. 

Gosh, Bigosh, oaths. 

Gorse, furze. 

Gote, a water- course to a mill. 

Gran, did grin. 

Grash, trash, sour stuff; Grashin', eating trash. 

Graunch, to eat voraciously. 

Greadly, or Graidly, properly, completely. 

Greawnd, ground, the earth. 

Greawt, thin wort. 

Greece, or Greese, a little brow ; also stairs ; an 
ascent, (obs.) 

Grese, grass. 

Grin, a noose to catch hares. 

Greawp, group. 

Greawpn, they group. 

Gredwpin, the joining and binding of a tub. 

Grip'yort, grip-yard : a platting of stakes and twisted 
boughs filled up with earth : generally made to con- 
fine a water- course, and occasionally to form artifi- 
cial banks and seats in pleasure-grounds. 

Gripyorlin', making a grip-yort. 

Grode, growed. 

Grdn-chilt, grand-child. 

Grdn-dad, grandfather. 

Gronideer, a granidier. 

CtT 'OTl — W? CUYYh 

n , ' ^grandmother. 

Gronny, J ° 

Groon, grown ; grooin, growing. 

Groop, the place where ordure falls in a shippon. 



1 84 GLOSSARY. 

Grooth, growth ; of a certain growth. 

Groyn, a swine's snout. 

Gruant, a greyhound. 

Grummil, small coal ; the riddlings of coal. 

Grand, ground, pulverized. 

Grunsil, groundsel, a herb. 

Gryev, a greve, or district of a place, as the gryevs or 

greves, in the ancient forest of Bossendale. 
Gryev, a place in Spotland ; Levin-gryev, another 

place on the road betwixt Rochdale and Bacup. 
Gurd, a fit, a start. A gurd o leawghin or laighin, 

a fit of laughing. 
Gusset, a square piece sewed into a shirt. 
Gutt, go to. " Awst gutt Ratchda/'' 
Gwont, gone to, also gaunt. 
Gyrr, to purge. 
Gyrrd, purged. A gyrrd cawve, is one purged by 

having had too rich milk. 

Ha, have ; Han we have. 

Hack, to cut bunglingly. 

Hdcklin, cutting, lacerating ; kacklt, cut, jagged ; 

hackln, they hackle. 
Hdckslaver, a disgusting fellow. 
Hdddle, barren, unfruitful (Cymraeg, hadlyd) . 
Hddloont, headland of a ploughed field. 
Hadn, we had : hadnyo, had you ? 
Hades, a place near Rochdale, 
Hddno, had not. 
Hddnoyo, had not you? 
Hddto, hadst thou ? 
Hddtono, hadst thou not. 
Hag, and Haggus, the belly : hag, a witch, a malicious 

old woman. 



GLOSSARY. 185 

Haft, the handle of a knife or other cutting tool. 
Hdffle, to hesitate, to shuffle: "Whot arto hafflin 

abeawt ? " 
Hag-gate, a place near Royton. 
Hdggoknows, an ungainly blockhead. 
Hdggus, or Heygus, pottage made of herbs, meal, and 

butter. 
Haig, a haw ; the berry of the hawthorn. 
Haight, or Ha-it, have it. 
Hdirum Scdirum, a wild fellow. 
Hal, Henry ; Hal o'Nabs, Henry of Abrahams. 
Hdlliblash, a great blaze, probably from holyblash, a 

holy or sacred fire, 
Hallde, halloo, to shout. 
Hdlloday, a play day, a holiday. 
Hdmmi, or Hameh, have me : " Wilto hameh ? " wilt 

thou have me ? 
Hdmmil, a hamlet : hammil-scoance, the lantern of the 

village : the village Solomon. 
Han, they have. 
Hanch, to snap, to bite at. " TV dhog hancht at 

him." 
Hdnch-appo, or apple, the amusement of snap-apple. 
Hanker, to desire, to covet : " He's hankering after 

summut." 
Hdnni, have you ? 

Hanno, have not : " I hanno, we hanno, they hanno." 
Hap, to cover, to wrap up ; also to smooth bed 

clothes : " Mam, hapmeh op," cover me with bed 

clothes ; " Hap em deawn," smooth them down. 
Hdppin, covering ; hapt, covered ; hapn, they cover ; 

haptnt, they covered. 
Hdrbor-londs, a place at Middleton. 
Hard-melcht, hard to milk : scant of milk. 

16 & 



186 GLOSSARY. 

Harr, higher. 

Hdrrin, snarling. 

Hdrper-heigh, or hey, a township near Manchester. 

Harm, to repeat after another, in mockery, " He 

harms after meh." 
Harry, to hurry, to tease, 
Hdrrid, hurried, tired, 
Hdr stone, hearthstone. 
Hash, or harsh, dry, parched. 

Hately, hateful, bad tempered : " Dunno be so Irately." 
Hav, have; havin, having. 
Havers, oats. 
Haver-cake, oaten break, 
Haust, or hawst, a cough, 
Haustin, coughing. 
Haw'mbark, a horse collar. 
Hawms, the back part of the thigh, next to the knee 

joint. 
Hawms, haulms, horse-gearing : the irons which go 

round the collar. 
Haw'mpa, or Hawmple, to halt, to limp. 
Hawpney, halfpenny. 
Hawp, a tall, clumsy person. 
Hawve, half; hawvin, halving. 
Hawse, a horse ; hawse-goad, horse-gowd or gaud, 

ornament for a horse. 
Hawt, to halt, to limp. 

Hdwitin, limping ; also standing still, resting. 
Hdwtter, halter, 
Healo, or yealo, bashful, shy : " Com^ drink, mon, an 

dunno be so healo/' 
Heck, a half door. 

Heaw, how : " Heaw, arto ? " how art thou ? 
Hedwer, hour (Awr, Cymraeg,) 



GLOSSARY. 187 

Heawl, to howl ; Yeawl, the same. 

Heawnd, a hound. 

Heawnge, a lump; a large piece of bread or other 
food : " Cut thesel a good heawnge." 

Heaw'ngin-obedwt , lounging, skulking. 

Heawse, house; heawse-wark, house-work. 

Heddish, after-grass. 

Hedd, heeded : " he hedd meh." 

Hee, high ; hee-er higher ; heeist, highest. 

Hee-wit'ch, a wizard. 

Heewaymon, highwayman. 

Heer, he was ; heer gooin, he was going ; heer stonnin, 
he was standing. 

Heegh, high (in some localities) ; heegher, higher ; 
heeghist, highest. 

Heeve, hove, lifted. 

Heffer, a heifer. 

Heigh-go-mad, mad, shouting or galloping like mad. 

Helder, or Elder, more likely, udder of a cow. 

Helt, likely, (obs.) 

Helter, a halter. 

Heps , fruit of the briar. 

Herple, to halt, or limp : " He coom herplin after." 

Het, hight, named. 

Hetter, keen, eager, (obs.) 

Hiddle, to hide. 

Hid'dlin, hiding. 

Hid'dlance, in secresy. 

Hie, to hasten. 

Hiein, hastening. 

Hig, a passion ; pettish anger. " Hee's in a great hig." 

Hill, to cover : " Hill meh op," cover me with bed- 
clothes ; " Unhill meh," uncover me ; bed-hillin, 
bed-clothes. 



188 GLOSSARY. 

Hin'der, to prevent, 

Hippin-cloth, a child's clout. 

Hippin-stones, stones placed to step across a stream. 

Hitter, to fester, to corrode. 

Hittert, festered, scabbed, r. w. litter. 

Hittin, hitting. 

Hit'tn, we hit. 

Hob, a dunce, a gawby. 

Hobbil, a dull fool. 

Hobs, ledges near a fire-place. 

Hobble, an entanglement, a dilemma ; also to limp. 

Hobblety-hoy, a clumsy, thriving lad. 

Hobgoblin, a demon ; an evil spirit. 

Hobnob, to sit chatting over drink. 

Hdbthurst, an ungainly dunce : ' ' Theaw great hob- 

thurst." Tim Bobbin describes it as an apparition 

" haunting only woods," but in that sense it is not 

now understood. 
Hogg, hug, to carry on the back ; hoggin, carrying on 

the back ; the o in this word also is sounded broad 

and full, as in doe, roe, woe. 
Hdgg-muttn, mutton of a year old sheep ;*the o sounded 

as above. 
Hollin, the holly. 
Hollinwood, near Oldham. 
Hom'mer, a hammer. 
Horn merin, hammering. 
Horn mertn, we hammered. 
Hondle, a handle; hondlin, handling; hondltn, we 

handled. 
Hongry, hungry. 
Hong, hang. 
Hongin, hanging. 
Hdngnt, we hung. 



GLOSSARY. 189 

Honk, to hank ; to put a noose on a nail or hook, is to 

" honk it on." 
Honk, also hank of yarn. 
Hont, the hand ; hontle, a handful. 
Hoo, she ; hoo-justice, a female justice. 
Hooa, who : " Hooas dun that. - " 
Hoo' 11, hoo will, she will. 
Hoo shdnno, she shall not. 
Hooant, swelled hard in the flesh, (obs.) 
Hoor, or Whoor, a prostitute. 
Hoor, she was, as, " Hoor beawn to Hatch da." 
Hoose, she is, " hoose gon a milkin ; hoost, she shall. 
Hopper, a sort of basket. 
Hoppet, a small basket. 
Horty, hearty, (obs.) 
Hot' chin, or Hutchin, to limp, to keep shifting, as if 

uneasy. 
Hotter, to stir up, to potter the fire ; hotter 'in '-mad ', 

very angry. 
Hough, a hoof, a foot. 

How, the whole : " How leath, on a halliblash/ 
How-row, a hubbub, a tumult. 
Howd, hold. 
How' din, holding. 
How'dn, they hold. 
Howe, a hill ; howe-side, a hill side. 
Howse, to stir up, to potter : " Howse that foyer V 
How'some, wholesome. 

Hoyd, a hide or skin ; also to hide, to conceal. 
Hoyr, to hire. 
Hoy-rin, hiring. 
Hoy'rtn, we hired. 
Hoyse, hose. 
Hoyts, long rods or sticks. 



a 



)» 



190 GLOSSARY. 

Hubbon, the hip; huggon, the same, (but little used 

in South Lancashire) . 
Hud, hid, concealed. 
Hud, hidden : " Hee's hud." 
Huddle, to crowd together. 
Huddlt, crowded. 
Huddlin, crowding. 

Hugger-mugger, a jumble, a confusion. 
Huggins, the hips ; huggons, the same. 
Huckle, to stoop, to bend with age. 
Hucklin, stooping. 
Huckln, they stoop. 
Hiimp-stridd'n, sitting astride. 
Hummobee, the large field bee. 
Hundersfield, from Hunder, hounder; and field, Hun- 

dersfield, near Rochdale. 
Huntly-bruck, near Bury. 
Hunt -lone, in Chadderton. 
Hur, her. 

Hure, hair ; hury, hairy. 
Hum, a horn. 
Husht, silent ; also to keep silence : " Husht, dunno 

spyek." 
Hush-shop, a place where ale is sold without a license. 
Hutch, to move further, to sit close : " Hutch a bit 

fur ; '* " Whot arto hutchin so close for ? " 
Hutchin, moving further, nearer on a seat. 
Huzz, a hum, a noise like bees. 
Huzzif, from huswif, house-wife, a needle-case. 
Huzzit, the letter Z. 

Iccles, or Eccles, icicles. 
Fd, I would ; also I had. 
Idd'n, you had ; also you would. 
FGdddil, if God will. 



GLOSSARY. 191 

PGodlin, or TGadlin, an interjection. 
P Gddsnum, in God's name. 
IWfdvurt, ill-favoured, ugly. 
Imp, to deprive of. 

Imp-in, to inch in, to go beyond, or short of the pro- 
per mark. 
In, if; In id had, if I had had. (obs.) 
In'glun, England. 
In'glun-shoyer, all England. 

In klin, a hint ; also a liking for a person or thing. 
In'neaw, e'en now, directly. 
In'neh, if I ; also if you. 
In'nin, if you will. 
Ire, I were, or was. 

Ir'nin, the making of cheese ; the smoothing of linen. 
1st, is it ? r. w. fist, wist. 
Pst, I shall : r. w, moist. 
Istid, instead. 
Itedw, in two, broken. 
I'tlier, in their : r. w. with wither. 
Title, it will. 

Iv, if; ivtle, if thou wilt. 
Ivin, ivy. 
Iz, is. 

Jdckstones, a girl's game, played with a marble, and 
knuckle bones of a sheep. 

Jackanapes, an impertinent fellow. 

Jdmbles, the iron geering which fits into a horse- 
collar to draw with. 

Jdnnock, a thick cake made of oatmeal. 

Jawms, the sides of a window, a fire-place, or other 
building'arrangement. 

Jert, to jerk ; to throw a stone by jerking. 

Jill, half-a-pint. 



192 GLOSSARY. 

Jilliver, a termagant : " Hoo's a jilliver; " also gilly- 
flower, called " spice jillivers." 

Jimp, neat, tidy. 

Jin'gle, a tinkle ; a merry sound. 

Jin'gumbobs, trifles, playthings. 

Joan, a woman's name. 

Job'berknowl, a dunce. 

J one, a man's name, John. 

Jumbo, a place near Middleton. 

Jump, or Jimp, a coat, a garment; a Sunday jump, a 
Sunday coat. 

Junkit, a small cake ; a crackling. 

Junkit tin, visiting, gadding, gossiping. 

Ka, or Keaw, a cow. 

Kale, turn to be served : " Coal-pit kale." 

Kame, and Komm, a comb. 

Kdmin, Kommin, combing. 

Kdmin-komm, a combing comb, a small-toothed comb ; 

redyin-komm, a large-toothed comb. 
Kdmple, to prate. 

Kdppil, or Cappil, a patch on a shoe. 
Kdrnil, a kernel. 
Kdtty-green, in the township of Heaton ; Katty- 

green-well, same place. 
Kawve, or Caivve, a calf. 

Kayve, to upset, to turn over : " He's keyvt his cart." 
Keather, or Key t her, a cradle (cader, Cymraeg.) 
Keaw, or Ceaiv, a cow. 
Keawer, to cower, to sit down. 
Keawl, to crouch, to quail. 
Keawlt, abashed, intimidated ; keawlin, intimidating ; 

keawltn, they intimidated. 
Keawnt, or Ceawnt, count, to number. 












GLOSSARY. 193 

Keck, to he pert. 

Keckle, unsteady. 

Kecklety, likely to topple over. 

Keckle, prate, impertinence ; kecklin, prating, assum- 
ing. 

Keck-meg, a pert young woman. 

Keigh, or Kye, cows. 

Keend, to kindle : "Keend a foyer ;" keendin, kindling; 
keent, kindled. 

Keem, to comb. 

Keen-bitten, eager, sharp, alert to take advantage. 

Kersn, or Kersen, to christen; kersnt or kersent, 
christened. 

Kessmus, Christmas. 

Kest, cast ; kest off, cast off; kest, to cast accounts ; 
kest-op, to cast up accounts. 

Kestlin, a calf before its time. 

Kestit, cast up. 

Keigh, key of a door. 

Keyther, or Kayther, a cradle. 

Kibe, to gibe, to mock. 

Kibboes, long sticks. 

Kill, a kiln ; breek-kill, a brick-kiln. 

Kill-danes, a field at the bottom of Castle-hill, Roch- 
dale. 

Killt, killed ; killin, killing ; kil'ltn, they killed. 

Kindle, to bring forth ; chiefly applied to rabbits. 

Kink, to lose the breath with coughing ; chin-cough. 

Kin'k-haust, a violent cough or cold. 

Kipper, amorous. 

Kip'ple, to lift a weight from the ground, and throw 
it upon the shoulders without help or stoppage. 

Kist, a chest. 

Kittle, ticklish, uncertain, also to bring forth young. 

17 



194 GLOSSARY. 

Kittlin, a kitten. 

Kndggy, knotty. 

Knoblucks, small lumps. 

Kndckus, knuckles. 

Knotchel, or Notchel, to disclaim responsibility. To 

cry 'knotchel/ is to give public notice that the 

notifier will not be answerable for any debt or debts 

of another party. 
Knowe, a knoll, a hillock. 
Knowe-hill, near Rochdale. 
Knurs, knots, warts on trees. 
Ko', quoth : " Heaw arto, ko' he ? " " Pratty weel 

ko' I" 
Kwort, to court, to make love ; kwortin, courting. 
Kwdrtn, they court. 
Kwdrtship, courtship. 
Kwort, a court of justice : the court at London, or 

other court. 
Kybe, to pout the lip in scorn. 
Kynd, kind. 
Kyndly, kindly. 
Kyndniss, kindness. 

Ldbbor, labour; labborin, in labour; labborn, they 

labour. 
Lad, a boy ; also did lead. " He lad 'em th' wrung 

road." 
Lddy-heawse, a place near Milnrow, Rochdale. 
Lddsavvur, the plant lad's love, southernwood. 
Ldft, left, departed. 
Ldftn, they left. 
Lag gins, staves of a tub. 
Lethur, to beat : " Aw lethurt him." 
Leet, to alight; day-leet, day-light; leeter, lighter ; 

leetnin, lightning. 



GLOSSARY. 195 

Laigh, to laugh; laighin, laughing; laighnt, they 

laughed. 
Laighless, laughless, without laughter. 
Laith, a barn ; also to invite ; to laith to a funeral ; 

laithin, inviting. 
Lant, stale urine : also lent in the past tense ; " Aw 

lent him a peawnd." 
Lang, long ; langer and [lenger, longer ; langist and 

langst, longest. 
Lap, to wrap ; lappin, wrapping up ; laps, coat laps. 
Lam, to learn ; larnin, learning ; larnt, learned ; 

larntn, they learned. 
Lass, a young female. 
Latch, catch of a door; also to catch a distemper; 

" He latch it " is a common expression. 
Ldtchin, taking infection. 
Latt, late ; Idttly, lately ; lattist, latest ; also latt, a 

lath. 
Lamm, lame. 
Lawrnt, lamed. 
Lawmn, they lame. 
Le\ let ; as lemmi, let me. 
Lean, to yield towards, to favour : " He leans to'rd 

hur." 
Ledrock, or learuk, a skylark. 
Ledwance, allowance. 
Leawd, loud. 
Leawgh, to laugh. 
Leaw'ghin, laughing. 
Leawghn, they laugh. 
Leawght, laughed. 
Leawk, to lash, to beat : " Awl githe a good leawkin, 

a good whipping. 
Leawks, tufts of barren dry grass ; locks of hair. 



93 



196 GLOSSARY. 

Ledvjky, full of locks or tufts. 

Leawnge, to lunge ; to lounge, to skulk : " He dus 

nobbo leawnge obeawt." 
Leawp, a loop, a noose. 
Ledwp-hoyle, a loop-hole. 
Leawse, a louse ; leawzy, lousy. 
Lebby, Edmund ; Yebby, the same. 
Leek, to lake ; leckin', leaking water ; leckn, they leak ; 

leck-on, to pour on water when brewing. 
Lee, lay : " He lee theer," he lay there. 
Leef or lieve, as soon, equally so; leefer or liever, 

sooner, rather than ; leefist, soonest. 
Leep, leaped : " Aw leep, theaw leep, he leep ;" " We 

leepn, yo leepn, they leepn." 
Lemmi, let me. 
Less-rods, or ley'sh-rods, rods to keep the leash of a 

warp. 
Leet, to let : ' ' He leet hur goo ; " " Aw leet on him 

at th' last ; " also to light on, to find. 
Leet, light, day; leets, lights ; also the lungs : " plucks 

an leets ; " leetnin', lightning ; leetnt, lightened ; 

leet sum, lightsome ; leeter, lighter ; leetin 3 , lighting. 
Leeten, pi. of leet : " They leetn hur gooa at last," 

they suffered her to escape. 
Leigh, signifying low, a town near Bolton. 
Lenger, longer. 

Lennock, long, pendulous. "Lennock yerd," long- 
eared. 
Lether, to beat : " Aw lethurt him weel." 
Ley- land, land untilled, and left for pasture. 
Lhog, to pull the hair, to lug : also a log of wood ; 

the o sounded as in dhog. 
Lick, to beat ; also to lick with the tongue. 
Lic'kin, beating ; licking with the tongue. 



GLOSSARY. 197 

Like, to be fond of ; to resemble ; likly, likely. 

Lik'ker, more like ; more likely, more resembling. 

Lik'lyist, most likely. 

Likt' } like to : as, " like to ha had," he almost had. 

Likn, we like. 

Lik't, liked, loved. 

Lilt, to walk quickly, lightly. 

Liltin, dancing; moving with a jaunty air. 

Ldnlady, landlady ; a female tapster ; Idnlort, a land- 
lord. 

Lond, land ; londed, landed ; Idndin', landing. 

Londs-end, near Middleton. 

Ldnd-howder, a landholder; 

Lone, a lane. 

Lodkn, we look. 

Loont, a land ; a butt or ridge of ploughed land ; 
hddloont, the head-land, or add-land, of a ploughed 
field. 

Ldpper, to boil slowly. 

LopperUmilk, boiled milk or curdled milk. 

Ldpperin-breawis , thick breawis. 

Lort, lord, a family name. 

Lorjus o'me I Lord Jesus, have mercy upon me ! 

Lotch, to halt, to limp. 

Lot' chin, limping. 

Ldthe or loothe, look thee. 

Lot her, lather, suds. 

Lougher -place, lower-place, near Rochdale. 

Loyse, to loose, also loosen. 

Loyte, or lite, a few. 

Loz'zuck, to loll, to rest idly. 

Luckit, a nursing term : also used by way of scoff, 
"lookit." 

Lumber, mischief; also rubbish. 

17 § 



198 GLOSSARY. 

Lung y long ; also lunk. 

Lunqer.~\ 1 

T , u > > longer. 

Lenger, J ° 

Lunge, to injure unexpectedly : " He's taen th' advan- 
tage, an lungst him." 

Lungous, surly, revengeful. 

Lunnon, London. 

Liew, thin, poor : " Its very liew ;" it is thin, diluted. 

Line, layn : " It's line eawt." 

Lin' pin, a linch-pin. 

Ling, heath, a shrub. 

Lirither, to fasten the end of a warp in a loop, so that 
it can be woven close and finished. 

Lin 'therm, securing a warp. 

Lin'therin-bdnds, small cords by which the end of a 
warp is held until woven down. 

Lippn, to expect ; also leaped, 

Lip'pnin, expecting. 

Lip'pnt, expected. 

Lithe, active, pliant ; also to thicken broth or soup. 

Lit her, idle. 

Littleborough, near Rochdale. 

Loath, unwilling. 

Loast, loosed : " He loast it, an it ran." 

Loastn, they loosed. 

Lob'cock, a great idle young person. 

Lobb, to run : " He went lobbin away ; M lobbin, run- 
ning, at a long step. 

Lob' den, a place near Rochdale. 

Lob'scouse, potato hash. 

Loft, an upper room. 

Lhog, or Logg, a block of wood ; also to lug, to pull 
the hair ; the o sounded as in dhog, or doe, roe, &c. 

Lhogguryed, a loggerhead, a blockhead ; also to go to 
loggerheads, to dispute, and quarrel. 



GLOSSARY. 199 

Loyns, or Leyns, leans, inclines towards : " He rey- 

ther loyns that way." 
Lurch, to lurk, to surprise. 
Lurcher, one who lurks, a dog. 
Lurden, an idle lubber. 

Lurry, to drag, to pull away ; lurrid, dragged, forced. 
Lutcli, to pulsate. 

Lutchin, pulsating painfully, as in a tumour. 
Luver, or Ldover, a chimney. 
Lwod, to load, also a load. 
Lwodin, loading. 
Lwodn, loaded. 

Lyed, to lead, also lead, a metal. 
Lyen, lean, lyen meat. 
Lyend, to lend. 
Lyep, to leap ; lyepin, leaping ; lyeps, leaps ; lypn, 

they leap. 
Lyest, least, also leased. 

Lyev, leave, permission : also leaf of a vegetable. 
Lyevs, leaves. 
Lyev, to depart, to leave. 
Lyevin, departing. 
Lyevn, they depart, 
Lyne, lain, reposed, abided. 
Lyve, life : " Aw never did so imeh lyve." 

Mack, sort, breed, family. 

Mdddle, to confuse, to distract : " Hoose quite maddlt." 

Mdddlt, confused. 

Mddlin, confusing, distracting ; also a flighty, extra- 
vagant person : u Whot a madlin hoo is ; " " Really 
hoos quite a madlin." Mad-cap, a female of the 
same description. 

Mdkker, a manufacturer of piece goods ; a maker of 
a thing. 



200 GLOSSARY. 

Mall, Mary ; malty or moll, the same. 

Mam, mother, 

Mdnchit, a small loaf of white bread. 

Mdnchit-hoe, a place in Castleton, near Rochdale. 

Mant, moaned: "Sadly mant hur;" also meant, 

intended. 
Manner t, mannered : " Very feaw mannert." 
Mar, to spoil; mar^d, spoiled; mdrrin, spoiling; 

marrdn, they spoiled. 
Mare or Mere, a lake of water. 
Mdrgit, Margaret. 
Mdrland, near Rochdale ; Marian-mere, at the same 

place. 
MdrlocJc, a prank, a playful trick ; pi. marlocks. 
Mdrlockin, gambolling, playing. 
Marrow, a match, a mate, an equal : " Conto marrow 

that?" 
Marry, and Marry -kemeawt, common interjections : 

" Not I, marry ! " not I indeed ! " Kem eawt," 

come out ; be off. 
Mash, to mix, to blend provender ; also a mixture : 

" A warm mash," " A cowd mash ; " also to smash, 

to destroy. 

Masht, destroyed, smashed : " He masht it o' i'pieces." 

Mdskins.^l ,, ,-, 
-no-' t r petty oaths. 
Mackms,] r J 

Madtho, Martha. 

Mdttert, signified : " It didno matter," it did not 

signify ; it was not of consequence ; also mattered, 

suppurated. 
Maul, to pull, to disarrange ; maulin, spoiling ; mault, 

spoiled. 
Maunder, to wander, to mope about without object ; 

maunderin, moping about; maundert, moped. 



GLOSSARY. 201 

Maw'kin, a dunce, a listless person ; mawkinly, 

duncely, mawkish. 
Mawp, a bullfinch. 
Mawt, malt. 
Mavftter, mortar. 

May, make : " Wilto may this frock ? '* 
May din, a place in Hopwood ; maydn, Celtic, a fox. 
Mdygutj a maggot. 
May no, may not; may-yo, may you. 
May to, may thou ; maytono, mayest thou not ; maydn, 

did make. 
Medster, master ; meastert, mastered ; measterin, 

mastering ; meastertn, they mastered. 
Meawnge, to munge, to munch, to eat greedily. 
Meawghn, they eat greedily ; meawghnt, they did eat 

greedily. 
Meawl, to mould ; meawlder, to moulder ; meawlderin, 

mouldering. 
Medwldy, mouldy. 
Meawlder t, mouldered. 
Medwldern, they moulder. 
Medwntebank, a mountebank. 
Meaw'ntun, mountain. 
Meawse, a mouse. 
Meawser, a mouser. 
Meaw zin, mousin. 
Meaw'se-neest, a mouse's nest. 
Meawnt, to mount. 
Meawmtin, mounting. 
Meaw'nted, mounted. 

Meawt, to moult, to cast feathers ; pi. meawtn. 
Meawth, a mouth. 
Medwz'ik, or Mewzik, musics 
Medzy, dizzy ; Medzy-sow, giddy, or empty headed. 



202 GLOSSARY. 

Meeny, a family ; also many. 

Meet, might, power, strength ; also exact, just now, 

as " It's comn meet neaw." 
Meety, mighty ; awmeety, Almighty. 
Menno, may not. 
Met, might ; met-ha, might have ; metn-ha, they might 

have. 
Metn, they met, or might ; metto, mightest thou ? 

mettono, mightst thou not ? 
Mew, the cry of a cat. 
Mexn, to cleanse a stable or shippon. 
Mezur, to measure ; also a measure ; mezurtn, they 

measured. 
Mickle, size, bulk, great : " Whot a mickle," how 

great he is. " Whot mickle ov a mon is he ? " 

" He's th' mickle o' thee." 
Middin, a dungheap. 
Middin-spuce, a dunghole. 
Middletn, Middleton. 
Midge, a gnat. 
Mil'n-row, the place once Tim-Bobbin's residence, 

near Rochdale. 
Mimp, precise, to be affected ; mimpin, apeing, affect- 
ing. 

Mindsiomeh ? mindest thou me ? heedest thou me ? 
Mish-mash, a hodge-podge. 
Mistal, a cow-house ; a shippon. 
Mistden, or Mistan, mistaken. 
Mitch, much. 
Mittins, gloves without fingers ; also strong hedging 

gloves. 
Miz'zle, to rain lightly. 
Miz'zlin, slightly raining. 
Miz'zly i given to rain. 



GLOSSARY. 203 

Miz'zlt, rained, small rain. 

Miz'zy, a soft boggy place. 

Mob-cap, a woman's close cap, 

Moedy-warp, or Mowdy-ivarp, a mole ; moedy-warp- 
hole, the burrow of a mole. 

Moekin, moping abont ; also a dull person. 

Moider, or Moyder, to puzzle, to confuse ; also a coin. 

Moll, or Mall, Mary. 

Mdllart, a mop to clean ovens with. 

Mon, man. 

Monny, many. 

Moo, to put hay in the barn ; mooin, putting hay in 
the barn. 

Mood, stowed full ; mood-eawt, filled to an excess. 

Mood, or Mowd, earth, fine soil, mould. 

Mood, a mould of casting, or of a brick. 

Moof, or Mough, a mow of hay. 

Moor, more ; also a common, a heath. 

Moot, might ; mootha, might have ; metha, the same. 

Mootn and Metn, pi. of might. 

Mooter, toll at a mill. 

Mootlier, mother. 

Mope, to be dull, drowsy, silent ; mopein, being silent 
and fatnitous. 

Mdpsy, a dingy slattern. 

Mdttey an aggregate of small deposits of money. 
Thus it is not an uncommon thing for some dozen, 
or twenty women, to agree to deposit each a certain 
small sum weekly, say from threepence to six- 
pence, commencing at Christmas, and ending at 
the annual wakes in August or then about. When 
the time has expired, the money is divided, and ex- 
pended, generally either in new clothes for the 
coming winter, or in a pleasure trip to Liverpool, or 



£04 GLOSSARY. 

other place offering sea air, convenience, and 

novelty. 
Mowffin, a muffin. 

Mow'dy-warp, or Moedy-warp, a mole. 
Moy'der, or Moider, to confuse, to bother; moydert, 

bothered. 
Muckot, a term of derision ; also a tub or other vessel, 

in which dung is carried to hilly places. 
Mullock, dirt, rubbish. 
Mump, to thump, to beat: "He mumpt him 

seawndly." 
Mumps, the sullens, to sulk ; also the name of a place 

at Oldham. 
Mun, or Munt, must. 
Muntono, or Munttono ? must thou not ? 
Munto, must thou? 
Munni, must I ? 

Munno, must not; munha, must have. 
Murth, abundance, a large quantity ; maerth, maertho, 

Anglo-Saxon, greatness, honour. 
Muse, or Mews, a gap in a hedge where hares or rab- 
bits pass. 
Mush, to crush, to mash, to mix up. 
Moyce, mice. 
Muz, or Muss, a nurse's term for mouth : " Oppn it 



muss.'''' 



Muzzy, sleep, dull, heavy. 

Mwost, most. 

My'chin, or Michin, pining, out of humour. 

Myen, mean, intended. 

Myenin, meaning, intention ; my ens, means. 

Myenn, we mean. 

Myentn, we meant. 

Myensto ? meanest thou ? 



GLOSSARY. 205 

Mycnstono, meanest thou not ? 

Myen-hood, Mean-wood, near Rochdale. 

My' sty, or Moisty, misty. 

My'thony, Myt-hony, name of a place near Todmor- 

den. 
Mythoraroyd, My't-liolm-roy d, Meet-holm-road, a 

place near the above. 

Nab and Ab, Abraham. 

Nddin, or Neddin, no din, silent, a stream dividing 

Bamford and Ashworth, near Rochdale. 
Nag -nail, a sore on human fingers. 
Naigh-mdigh, a place near Rochdale. 
Naigh-maigh-mill, at the same place. 
Nap, a short sleep ; ndppin', taking a nap. 
Napt, slept; Nap'tnt, they slept. 
Nap' kin, a hand- cloth. 
Nappy, joyous, merry. 
Neunt, and Noant, aunt. 
Natter, to nibble, to bite. 
Ndttert, short tempered, cross ; also nibbled. 
Ndtterin, being peevish, bad tempered : " Whot dusto 

keep natterin at ? " also nibbling. 
Ndyble, the naval. 
Nedtril, a born fool. 
Neaw, now. 
Neb, the point of a thing, also the rim of a hat ; the 

peak of a bonnet ; the edge of a cake : " Awve 

never brokkn th' neb o* thy cake yet." 
Ned, Edward ; also Nebster and Neddy. 
Ned, needed : u I hanno ned it/' I have not needed 

it ; nedno, needed not ; nedn, we needed ; nednno, 

we needed not. 
Neeld, a needle. 

18 



206 GLOSSARY. 

Neest, a nest ; neestin, nesting, 

Neestlin, nestling. 

Neeist, nearest. 

Neer, never : " I neer shall." 

Neet 3 night. 

Neeze, to sneeze ; neezin, sneezing. 

Neezt, sneezed. 

Neplins, small pieces of coal. 

Nesh, tender, fragile, 

Nestle-cock, the nestling, the last child. 

Nethen, now then. 

Nettle, to vex ; nettlt, vexed ; also stung with nettles. 

Newer, never : " Aw newer will." 

Neybur, neighbour. 

Neyve, a griped fist. 

Nifle, or Ny'fle, a bit of anything, a trifle. 

Nimble-nook, a place near Oldham. 

Nin'ny, a witless person. 

Nin'ny-hommer, a blockhead, a gawby : " Whot 

ninny-hommer, theaw art." 
Nip, to pinch, to twitch ; also a name for a dog. 
Nodgur, an augur. 
Nodgur-hole, or hoyle, a hole made by an augur ; also 

a game by marbles. 
No an, none. 

Noant, an aunt : " Noant Margit. 
Nodther, neither. 
No awe, no. 

Nob, or Knob, the head. 
Nobbut, or Nobbo, nothing but, only : n It's nobbut 

John." 
Noddle, the head. 
Ndddleyed, blockhead. 
Ndddlin, nodding. 
Nom'ony, a speech, a recitation. 



)> 



GLOSSARY. 207 

Ndmpion, a great man, a champion. 

Nook, a corner : at th' nook, at the farther end, in a 
dilemma, a straight. 

Nodnin, rest taken at noon ; noonscawpe, the same. 

Ndthin, nothing : " He's a great nothin." 

Ndtchel, see Knotchel. 

Not'chells, fragments, broken meats, leavings of a 
feast. 

Nowt, nothing; also bad, naught ; nowty, full of bad- 
ness. 

Nozzle, the nose. 

Ndzzlin, nestling close. 

Nozzle-pap, to nestle to the pap. 

Nudge, a slight hit, to remind by; nudgin, reminding; 
nudgt, reminded ; nudgn, they remind ; also to stir 
a thing. " He nudgt it," to push against ; " He 
just nudgt agen it." 

Nuer, or Newer, never. 

Nurr, a game at ball, with sticks. 

Nuz i' boz, nose i'th bosom. 

Nuzzle, to lie close to, as a child to its mother's 
bosom. 

Ny'fle, or Nyfle, a trifle ; a small quantity, a delicacy. 

O, all, of, and, on; as, " O, on em," all of them ; " O 
that," of that ; ec O'top on em," on the top of them. 
Odgur, an augur, a tool. 
Odmfry, or Hoamfry, Humphrey. 
ample, to limp. 
Odther, either. 

Obedwt, or Abedwt, about near. 
O'ckirtn, Alkrington, near Middleton. 
Od, a diminutive of the word God. 
Qdsweawks, God's works. 



208 GLOSSARY. 

Odswedwnds, God's wounds. 

Odds an eends, odd, trifling things. 

Oernenst, over against. 

Oerscutcht, scutcht-oer, done slightly. 

Off it, insane ; off at side, the same. 

Ogreath, right, straight, perfect. 

Oledwt, all out, all ready ; ' ' Theyr dun oleawt." 

Olike, all the same. 

Olung, all in consequence of : " It's olung o'thee." 

On'ny, any ; onny way, any way ; onnythin, anything. 

Ons ert, answered. 

Onsertn, they answered. 

Oon, an oven. 

Oozle, the owzle. 

Op'pn, or Oppen, open. 

Op'pnin, opening. 

Opp'nt, opened. 

Opp'n'n, they open. 

Oredwt, out of doors. 

rril, mad, frenzied : " He's quite orril. 

O'nser, answer; on serin, answering; o'nsert, answered ; 

O'nsertn, they answered. 

Owd, old; Ow'dham, Oldham; Owd Birkle, Old 

Birkle, near Bury. 
O'wler, the alder. 

O'wler-root, a farm near Middleton. 
Owse, or Owsen, oxen. 
Owt, anything : " Awm for owt/' or frowt. 
Oyl, oil. 

Oytch, each every. 

Oy'erlun, or Eyerlun, Ireland ; oyrish, Irish. 
O'yrishmon, Irishman. 
Oyst, ice ; oysty, icy. 



)> 



GLOSSARY. 209 

Pad, to walk ; pdddin, journeying on foot ; also the 

taking home of work by hatters is called paddin, 

from pad, to walk. 
Pail, or Pale, to beat : " Awv pailt him weel." 
Pap, the female bosom, suck for an infant. 
Pappy, full bosomed, full of milk. 
Pdpper, paper ; pappert, papered ; papperin, papering ; 

pappertn, they papered. 
Pdrrish, perish, to starve with cold ; parrisht, perished, 

benumbed. 
Pash, a gush, a sudden outbreak : " Hoo pasht into 

teers." 
Pawm, palm, flower of willow or hazle ; also the palm 

of the hand ! " Hee put it i'th pawm ov his hont." 
Pdys-egg, or Peace-egg, an egg or other gift presented 

at Easter, according to an ancient custom. 
Pedrlur, parlour, a room. 
Peawer, power. 
Peawnd, a pound. 

Pedwnther, or Peawnder, keeper of a pound for cattle. 
Pedwther, powder. 

" Thur bullits an peawther, 
Bang'd leawther an leawther." 
Pedwsweawse, and Paxwax, the tendon in a neck of 

veal. 
Peckle, to spot, to freckle. 
Pecklt, spotted ; pecklin, spotting ; peckltn, they 

spotted. 
Penkle, to trifle, to waste time on things of small 

consequence ; penklin, trifling ; penklt, trifled ; 

penkln, they trifle. 
Pestil, the shank of a ham, 
Petchy to patch. 
Petchin, patching. 

18 § 



iJ 



210 GLOSSARY. 

Petcht, patched. 

Pet' elm, they patch. 

Pet'ch-wark, patched work. 

Peylin, or palin, beating. 

Pick, to push sharply, to throw ; also to vomit. 

Pickin, vomiting. 

Pickle, case, condition, plight : " V weary pickle. 

Piece-woo, wool for a piece of flannel. 

Pickin-stick, the wooden handle by which weavers 

throw their shuttles. 
Pike, to pick, to choose, to select ; also to pick a 

quarrel ; also a pike, a weapon ; and a fish. 
Pik'ein, picking. 
Pikt, picked, selected. 
Pik'n, they pike. 
Pil, to peel; pillin, peeling; pilVd, peeled; pilthert, 

pilldn, they peeled. 
Pil'ther, or Pilder, to wither, to shrivel, to chip off; 

withered. 
Pil'pit, pulpit. 
Pimeper, to pamper, to be delicate at food : " Whot 

arto pimeperin at theer." 
Pinn, to run in great haste : " He pinned away. 
P ingot, a small croft near the house. 
Pis' smote, a pissmire, an ant. 
Piatt, to plait ; platted, plaited ; pldttin, plaiting ; 

pldttn, they plait; also pldttin, a road made on 

hurdles and bushes across a hollow, or over a boggy 

place : " Th' Miles Plattin," near Manchester. 
Platter, a wooden dish. 
Pleawm, a plum; pleawm-tree, a plum-tree. 
Pleck, a place. 

Plucks, the lungs, called also the " leets." 
Plucher, to steal, to plunder secretly. 



>} 



GLOSSARY. 211 

Plucherin, plundering. 

Pluchertn, they plundered. 

Plyes, to please. 

Plyesin, pleasing. 

Plyesn, they please. 

Plyest, pleased. 

Poand, a pond. 

Poant, pawned. 

Poantn, they pawned. 

Pod t to pad, to walk. 

Pdddin, walking. 

Poesy, a bunch of flowers. 

Poke, a sack ; also to pry, to obtrude : " Whot arto 

pokin abeawt heer for ?" 
Pollydnte, polyanthus. 
Pone, or Poan, to pawn. 
Ponn, a pan ; port' cake, a pancake. 
Poo, a pool of water ; also to pull ; pood, pulled. 
Pooin, pulling ; poddn, they pulled. 
Porritch, porridge. 
Poogh, an expression of slight. 
Poot, a young fowl ; moor-poot, a moor-fowl. 
Poss, to thrust, to push violently. 
Pos'sin, thrusting violently ; post, r. w. lost, to thrust ; 

postn, they thrust. 
Potboe, a dumpling. 

Pot-hook, a hook in the chimney, to hang the pot on. 
Pote, to push with the feet, to thrust, r. w. note. 
Potter, to stir up, to vex. 
Pottert, disturbed. 
Pdtterin, vexing. 
Pottern, they vex. 
P otter tn, they vexed. 
Pow, to cut the hair. 



212 GLOSSARY. 

Powd, polled, the hair cut. 

Pow'in, cutting the hair. 

Pow'dn, they cut the hair. 

Pom -cat, a pole-cat. 

Powl, to leave off work, and go to the ale-house. 

Pow'lin, neglecting work, and drinking ; poiv'ler, to 

ramble about drinking; pow'lerm, rambling and 

neglecting work ; powlert, broken down, distressed. 
Powse, lumber, offal. 
Pow'sement, rubbish, a term of reproach. 
Pow'sedurt, the same. 
Prdtty, pretty. 
Prdyo, pray you. 
Preem, a comb used by weavers, to loosen the yarn. 
Prial, or Pryal, the number three : ' ' A pryal o* 

pieces," three pieces. Three persons are a prial. 
Prison-bars, a rustic, out of door game. 
Prog, to thrust with a staff or fist. 
Prawt, trumpery stuff. 
Prdvon, provender. 
Pruin, a prune, a dried plum. 
Pule, to cry, to whimper. 
Pulin, whimpering. 
Punse, to kick ; punst, kicked ; punsin, kicking ; 

punsn, they kick. 
Punsnt, they kicked. 
Pwork, pork. 

Pyek, peak of a bonnet or cap ; pyekt, peaked. 
Pyel, a peal of bells ; also a peal of laughter. 
Pyelt, pealed. 
Pyelin, pealing. 
Pyeln, they peal. 
Pyeltn, they pealed. 
PynotSy or Pynorts, magpies. 






GLOSSARY. 213 

Pyrch, to perch, also a fish ; pyrchin, perching. 

Pyr'chn, they perch. 

Pyr'chnt, they perched. 

Pyrk, to be supercilious. 

Py'rkin, affecting superiority ; pyrkt, affected. 

Pyrkn, they pyrk. 

Pyert, cheerful, lively. 

Pyess, peace. 

Quean, ~\ ... , 

~ ' > a prostitute. 
Queyn, J r 

Quere, queer. 

Quift, to quaff, to tipple. 

Quiftin-pots, drinking cups. 

Quo, quoth. 

Quock, to go a distance to work at the harvest. 

Reapers who go down to Lincolnshire at harvest 

are called quockers. 

Babblement, a collection of rabble ; rabblety, a small 

rabble. 
Rack, a frame to hold hay for cattle. 
Rack, Reck, reckon. 
Rdck-oHh-ee, reckoning by the eye. 
Rack o' mut'tn, a saddle of mutton. 
Rack an rend, to waste property : to destroy, to ruin. 
Raddle, to thrash : " Aw'll raddle the bwons forthe." 
Rdddlt, thrashed. 
Rdddlin, thrashing, beating ; also a rod of hazel or 

other young wood. 
Rdddlins, pliant rods. 
Rdggot, a ragged vagabond. 
Rake, or Reawke, to place together, to collect, to rake 

into one place : "Rake th' foyer," to pull it together 

before going to rest ; " Rake that mud," collect it 

together with a rake. 



214 GLOSSARY. 

Rapscallion, a petty rascal. 

Rap an rend, to waste, to destroy property. 

Ras'cot, a rascal. 

Rash, an irruption on the skin. 

Rasher, a slice of bacon, a steak of beef. 

Ratch, to stretch, to extend; also that space in a loom 

betwixt the yarn-beam and the healds. 
Rdchda, Rochdale, anciently called Recedham ; in 

Anglo-Saxon, Recedom, a chief office, office of 

legislator. 
Rdtliv, or Ratliff, Radcliffe, near Bury. 
Rat'tnsta, or Raw'tnsta, Rawtenstall, near Haslingden. 
Rattle, to scold, to talk much ; Rattlt, scolded, talked 

much ; Rattlin, talking. 
ReamJc, to meet in neighbours' houses, and spend time 

in idle gossip. 
Reaw'kin, meeting together ; reawkt, collected, rooked; 

reawknt, they collected together. 
Redwly, sleepy, muzzy, unwashed. 
Reawm, a room. 
Reawnd, round. 
Reawp, a hoarse cold. 
Reawst, rust ; reawsty, rusty. 
Reawt, rout ; reawted, routed ; reawiin, routing. 
Reawtn, they rout. 
Reawtnt, they routed. 
Reawt, rout, direction, way. 
Reawz, to rouse, to awaken. 
Red Turn nook, a place at Oldham. 
Redivas, Redvales, near Bury. 
Reddy d, readied ; reddy, to make ready : " Reddy that 

yed," make that head ready, that is, comb the hair 

with the larger comb, preparatory to the smaller 

one. 



GLOSSARY, 215 

Reech, reek, smoke, vapour. 
Reechin, giving out smoke. 
Reechn, they smoke. 
Reechnt, they smoked. 
Reechy, smoky. 

Reer, to rear, to set on end, to bring up : u Theyn 
never reer it f* also to lean against : {i He reert it 



> )> 



agen th' wa\ 
Reert, reared : " Hoo sat reert op, like Lunnun 

pewter," a jeer at a finely dressed, lazy, ignorant, 

"woman, who sits in her chair motionless from 

pride, and thoughtless from stupidity. 
Reest, or Reast, rusted, smoke-dried, discoloured; 

" Reest bacon." 
Reet, right ; reetn, they right. 
Render, to melt, to separate the fat from the skinny 

parts of suet or pork. 
Rent, to tear ; rent. torn. 

Rentin, tearing; renin, they tear; rentnt, they tore. 
Rey, raw. 
Rey'ther, rather, given to, tending to ; reytherist, 

most given to : " Reyther byth' rey'therist," is a 

common expression, meaning, rather tending to 

the greatest tendency. 
Reytch, to reach, to touch a thing. 
Rick, to make a noise, to jingle ; also to scold ; also 

a hay -rick. 
Rickin, making a noise, making a hay-rick. 
Ricklin, the youngest of a hatch, or of a family. 
Ridd, to separate combatants ; to place two things 

apart. 
Riddance, a quittance ; having done with a thing. 
Rin'dle, a small stream of water. 
Rift, to belch ; rifted, belched ; riftn, they belch ; 

r if hit, they belched. 



216 GLOSSARY, 

Riggot, a channel or gutter. 

Rhute, a passion, a paroxism of anger : " He went 

away in a great rhute." 
Rive, to twist, to bend. 
Riv'en, rived, twisted, broken. 
Ro bin-run -it h : '-hedge, a medical plant. 
Robin Hood-bed, a large block of stone, probably an 

ancient altar, on the top of Blackstonedge, above 

Littleborough. 
Rdckcliffe-lum'me, near Bacup. 
Ronk, rank, luxuriant. 
Rood, a rod, a measure of ground 5 \ yards; also a 

place where a cross once stood, as Brimrood, Oaken- 
rood, near Bochdale. 
Roodilee, near Todmorden. 
Roof, rough. 
Roofer, rougher. 
Rook, a heap, a number together, as " a rook o' 

stones." 
Rod kin, reawkin, collecting together; rookn, they 

collect; rooknt, they collected. 
Rooty, a place near Rochdale ; Rooly-moor, near the 

same. 
Roor, roar ; rodrin, roaring ; roort, roared. 
Room, they roar. 
Roortn, they roared. 
Rooze, to arouse ; also to praise, to puff up : {t He 

geet roozt rarely." 
Rops, entrails. 
Rote, to rot, to decay. 
Rot'ein, rotting. 

Rotten, a rat, also rotten, decayed. 
Rowl, to roll ; rowlin, rolling ; rowlt, rolled. 
Rowler, roller ; rowlin-pin, a roller to make paste. 



GLOSSARY. 217 

Royd, road; Dane-royd, Dane- road; Mythom-royd, 
Mythoemroad ; Murgatroyd, Moorgate-road. 

Royle (perhaps from the Celtic, ar haul, the sun; 
pronounced ar oyl), the name of a hill in Thorn- 
ham, near Middleton. 

Roy ley, near Hoy ton. 

Ruddy red ; ruddmon ; red man ; also to rutt, to spawn, 
as « Twod-rudd." 

Rdefo, rueful. 

Riiffin, ruffian ; ruffin-lone, a lane at Middleton. 

Rilnaberr, running to get a force, an impetus : " A 
berr." 

Runagate, a person not following regular employment, 
and ready to run at any one's bidding ; an idle, 
unattached person. 

Runt, a dwarf, a stunted animal or tree. 

Runted, stunted. 

Rdshbearin, rushbearing, an annual custom of carry- 
ing rushes to the parish church on the anniversary 
of its dedication. 

Rdshcart, a cart loaded with rushes, arranged in taste- 
ful form, and taken as an offering to the parish 
church. 

Rutt, a track of wheels. 

Rutchot o' Jack's, Richard of John's, vide " Tummus 
and Meary." 

Ryem, or cryem, cream. 

Ry em-mug, or cry em-mug, cream-mug. 

Ryemin, foaming. 

Ryen, a narrow channel or foot-path. 

Ryep, a rap of yarn, part of a hank. 

Ry'nty, stand off, probably from " aroynt thee," the 
common abjuration addressed to a witch or a 
demon. 

Ryest, or reest, rancid, strong flavoured. 19 



218 GLOSSARY. 

Sdbden, a place in North Lancashire. 

Sad, thick, stiff, as " sad porritch," thick porridge. 

Saigh, saw : " I saigh him doo it." 

Sdnner, sooner. 

Sdplin, a young oak. 

Sark, a shirt ; sarkliss, shirtless. 

Sdrtin, certain ; sdrtinlj, certainly. 

Sdrmun, sermon. 

Sate, to satiate ; sated, satiated ; satein, satiating. 

Sattlt, settled ; sat tie, to settle ; sat tin, they settle ; 

sdttltn, they settled. 
Sdvur, savour, taste. 
Sdvurt, tasted. 
Sdvur n, they taste. 
Sdvurtn, they tasted. 
Saw fly, or sawfli, softly, gently : " He wawkt very 

sawfhV' 
Sawgh, a willow or withen. 
Sawp, a sup, a small quantity. 
Sawt, salt. 
Sawve, salve. 

Saxon-nook, a farm at Middleton. 
Solid, s'blood, an exclamation. 
Sedition, a young onion. 

Scamper, to run with speed ; scampert, ran hastily. 
S cap tins, chippings of stone. 
Scapp, escape. 

Scdp- gallows, scape -gallows. 
Scarr, a scaur, a steep, bare, and rocky place on the 

side of a hill. 
Scawd, to scald ; scawd, or scode-yed, a scabbed head. 
Scawp, the head. 
Scoance, a lantern. 
Scog, to dispute. 
Scdggin, disputing. 






GLOSSARY. 219 

Scope, a scoop, a vessel to lade with. 

Scdpperil, a flat button mold of bone, through which 
a peg is driven, so that it may twirl round like a 
tee-totum ; a insignificant person is also termed a 
scopperil : " Theaw little scopperil." 

Scotch, to set fast. 

Scotcht, set fast, stopped. 

Scrdnnil, a lean, skinny person. 

Scrat, to scratch, also is scratched; scrdttin, 
scratching; scratn, they scratch; scratnt, they 
scratched. 

Scrawm, to scramble awkwardly; scrdwmin, scram- 
bling; scrawmt, scrambled; scrdwmn, they scram- 
ble. 

Scraw'mntn, they scrambled. 

Screeve, or screive, to froth at the mouth, as in a fit, 
or as corpses do after death ; screevin, frothing ; 
screevt, frothed. 

Scroof, dry scales of the skin. 

Scrog, a fragment, a scrag. 

Scrunt, brushwood, undergrowth of timber, also a 
stunted insignificant person : " Awd neer goo throo 
th' wood, un tak op with 'scrunt " means " I'd 
never walk through the world of mankind, and take 
up with one of the most inferior after all." 

Scuse, excuse, evasion. 

Scutt, tail of a hare ; a short coat or other garment : 
" Its very scutt." 

Scutter, to hasten, to run, hap-hazard. 

Scutch, or skutch, to whip ; to move quickly : ' ' He 
skutcht forrud." 

Seanee, a small fresh- water eel, a young conger eel. 

Seaw, to sew ; seawin, sewing ; seawd, sewed : seaivn, 
sewn; seawdn, they sewed. 



223 GLOSSARY. 

Sediver, sour ; sawyr, taste, odour, Cymraeg. 

Seawk, suck, also to suck. 

Sedwkin, sucking. 

Seaivkt, sucked. 

Seawkn, they suck. 

Seawknt, they sucked. 

Seawl, buttermilk or whey, taken with oaten cake, 

chiefly for bagging or lunch. " Pot bos are scant, 

and dear are seawl an* cheese." Tim Bobbin. 
Seawl, soul ; seawl-case, the human body. 
Seaivnd, sound, healthy : also a noise ; seaw'ndin, 

sounding ; seaiv'ndn, they sound ; seaw'ndt, they 

sounded. 
Sedivndly, soundly, heartily. 
Seawp, sup, also to sup ; seawpin, supping ; seawpt, 

supped ; seaivpnt, they supped. 
Seawse, to hit, to beat : " Awll githe a good seawsin." 
Sedioter -skull, a numbskull ; a stupid fellow : " Theaw 

great seawterskull." 
Sedwieryed, a stupid fellow. 
Seaivth, south. 
Seek, a sack. 
Secont, second. 
Sed, said ; sedto, saidest thou ? sedtono, saidest thou 

not ? sedtoso, saidest thou so ? sedtonoso, saidest 

thou not so. 
Seech, seek ; also to seek ; seechn, we seek ; seechin, 

seeking ; seecht, sought ; seechnt, they sought. 
Seed, saw; seedn, they saw. 
Seegh, a sieve. 
Seely, silly. 
Seet, sight ; also see it ; also to set off, to start : 

" He seet away." Also sat ; " He seet him deawn ;" 

seetn, thev sat. 



GLOSSARY. 221 

Segg, a horny skin on the foot or hand. 

Seign, seven ; seignpence, sevenpence. 

Seln, self. 

Sen, say : " They sen he didno ;" senyo, say you. 

Sen'nis, sinews. 

Sennigrdon, sinews stiffened, immoveable. 

Sennit, seven night, a week. 

Ses, or sez, says : "He ses;" "They sedii." 

Sesto ? sayest thou ? 

Sestoso ? sayest thou so ? 

Sestonosd ? sayest thou not so ? 

Setter, an issue on cattle. 

Sett, a party, a gang: "Th' Boelee sett;" "Th' 

Birkle sett." 
Sew?', snre : "Aye for sewr is it/' for a certainty. 
Shadd, or shedd, over-did, excelled : " That shadd 

o ; " that exceeded all. 
Shuffle, to shuffle, to evade : " Whot arto shanin 

abeawt ? 
Shdffledurt, a shuffling person. 
Shdtlha, shall have; shdlli, shall I? shdlto, shalt 

thou ? shaltono, shalt thou not ? Sholl is frequently 

used. 
Sitter, an old festered sore. 
Shdmmock, one who is awkward, shamefaced. 
Shdmmockin, bungling, confused, abashed. 
Shan, shall ; shdnno, shall not ; shdnnoddo, shall not 

do. 
Shdnkle, to shuffle about, to dangle after. " Whot 

arto shanklin after hur for ? " Theaw needsno ston 

shanklin theer." 
Shankledurt, a shuffling fellow. 
Shap, shape ; shappin, shaping ; shapt, shaped. 
Shapn, they shape. 

19 § 



222 GLOSSARY. 

Shdpnt, they did shape ; also to offer, or to set about 

doing a thing : " Come, arto not for shappin ?" 

art thou not for setting about thy work ? or thy 

journey. 
Slidp-ashes, corrupted, from sheep-washes, at Oldham. 
Sham, dung, ; shdrnyvor, corrupted from Sharnyford, 

near Bacup. 
Shawme, shame ; shawmt, shamed. 
Shdwmin, shaming. 
Shdwmtn, they shamed. 
Shay, shaw, in Crompton. 
Shdy-side, a place near Shaw ; Shdy forth, a place near 

Rochdale. 
Shedd, spilled ; shedds, spills ; sheddn, they spill ; 

sheddnt, they spilled. 
Shedds, or shadd, surpassed, exceeded : "That shedds 

o." 
Sheddum, exceeding : " That's sheddum." 
Sheed, to spill ; sheedin, spilling ; sheedn, they spill ; 

sheednt, they spilled. 
Sheer, clear, entire, through. 
Shepster, a starling. 

Sherrs, shears ; also he shears, he reaps. 
Sherrin, shearing. 
Sherrd, shorn; sherdn, they sheared; sherrers, 

shearers. 
SJieawt, to shout. 
Shedwtin, shouting. 
Shedivtnt, they shouted. 

Shilder, or shilther, shoulder ; sh'ilders, shoulders. 
Sh'ilderin, shouldering. 
Sh'ildertn, they shouldered. 
Ship'pn, a cow-house. 
Shire, or shdyer, fully, entirely, to the extent. 



GLOSSARY, 223 

Shoave, or sheave, or shoove, to push against, or 

thrust aside. 
Shir I, shrill. 
Sh'itter, to purge. 
Shog, to jog, to go uneasily. 
Short, or shan, shall. 
Shonno, shall not. 
Shdllno, shall not. 
Sholtno, shalt not. 
Shollto ? shalt thou ? 
Sholltono, shalt thou not ? 
Shollst, shallst. 

$Aoo, a shovel : also a shoe ; shool, to shovel. 
Shoolin, or shooin, shovelling ; shoolt, shovelled ; 

shooltn, they shovelled. 
Shoods, the husks of grain ; shuyds, the same ; shudes, 

the same. 
Shoon, shoes ; shuyn, the same, chiefly near Tod- 

morden. 
Shoother, or shilder, shoulder; shootherin, shoulder- 
ing. 
Shoothertn, they shouldered. 
Shough, a shoe to wear. 
Shover, sholver, near Oldham; Shover-moor, at the 

same place. 
Shoyne, to shine. 
Shoyney, shiney ; sho'ynin, shining ; shoyner, shiner ; 

shoynt, shone. 
Shdyntn, they shone. 

Shoyve, or slave, a slice : " Cut a good shoyve." 
Shoyer-oer, over, entirely, over bounds, over the whole 

shire. 
Shreawd, a shroud. 
Shreawlt, withered, shrivelled. 



224 GLOSSARY. 






Shu, a noise to frighten poultry or birds : " Shu sed 

one : shu sed anothe." — Tim Bobbin. 
Siiidn, frightening, driving. 
Shud, should ; shudto ? shouldest thou ? shudtono, 

or shudsttono, shouldest thou not ? 
Shunt, to give way : to move from a place. 
Shuntn, they give way. 
Shuntnt, they gave way. 
Shurt, a shirt ; sark, the same. 
Shutter, to slip, to slide down ; shuttert, slipped. 
Shutterin, slipping. 
SMttern, they slipped. 

Shuz, or chez, whichever : " Shuz which theaw taks." 
Sib, relating, akin {obs.) 
Side, deep, long : a curtain or garment is said to be 

side, when it hangs low ; also the side of a thing, or 

the side of a party : " Whot side is he on ?" 
Sidle, to hang aside ; to be ready for either side, or 

both sides ; to wait for events ; also to follow a lass 

bashfully and secretly : " He's sidlin after hur." 
Sidelin, shuffling, hesitating ; sidlt, shuffled, waited. 

Lord Stanley sidlt, when he stood aside with his 

forces previous to the battle of Bos worth. That was 

a remarkable specimen of sidelin. 
Sigh, the sound of heavy rain, with wind : " Heaw 

it sigh an rains ;" also to pour liquor through a 

sieve. 
SiJce, or syke, a gutter. 
Sillabeawk, a rich cake, used at weddings. 
Sillabub, a rich posset, or spiced ale, produced at 

weddings by the bride's friends, before going to 

church. 
Sim'meh, see me. 
Sim'lin, or sym'lin, or, cymblin or symblin, a rich 



GLOSSARY. 225 

cake of peculiar shape, chiefly produced at Bury, 
in South Lancashire, and commonly presented to 
guests on Midlent Sunday, called from that 
circumstance, Symblyn Sunday ; Anglo-Saxon, 
Simble, a'feast. 

Sin, seen ; r. w. in : " Aw sin him." 

Sinn, since : " It's a week sinn." 

Sin'glet, a waistcoat, a man's vest. 

Sink, a drain, a gutter. 

Sirik-durt, the mud of a sink. 

Sitch, such ; Sitchun, such an one. 

Sitter, a festered sore. 

Sivv, a sieve. 

Size, akind of paste to stiffen woollen andcotton,warps. 

Skail, to stir, to potter, to let out, as " Skail th' foyer," 
stir the fire. 

Skam, did skim or take off. 

Skeawl, or sceawl, to scowl, to frown. 

Skedwlin, scowling. 

Skeawlt, scowled. 

Skedivln, they scowl. 

Skedwltn, they scowled. 

Sk'illit, a small pan. 

Skellut, crooked, awry. 

Skeawr, to scour ; skeawrin, scouring ; skeawrt, 
scoured ; skeaivrn, they scour ; skeawrtn, they 
scoured. 

Skelter, to run or ride at great speed : " Helter- 
skelter," galloping recklessly, with only a halter to 
guide the horse. 

Skenn, to squint ; skennin, squinting ; skend, they 
squint, Shednt, they squinted. 

Skift, to shift, to remove. 

Skiftin, shifting. 



226 



GLOSSARY. 



Shifted, shifted. 

Skiftn, they shift. 

Skiftnt, they shifted. 

Skir midge, skirmish. 

SMrmidgin, skirmishing. 

Skirmidgn, they skirmish. 

Skirmidgnt, they skirmished. 

Skode, or Scode, scald. 

Skddin, scalding. 

Skoded_, scalded. 

Skddn, they scald. 

Skddnt, they scalded. 

Skode, or scode-yed, scald head. 

Skoo, or schoo, school. 

Skdoin, schooling. 

Skood, schooled. 

Skoddn, they schooled. 

Skoon, they school. 

Skrike, to shriek. 

Skrikin, shrieking. 

Skrikt, shrieked. 

Skrickn, they shriek. 

Skriknt, they shrieked. 

Skrike o' day, break of day ; day-skrike, day -break. 

Skriev, to froth at the mouth after death. 

Skrievt, frothed. 

Sky rem, to scream. 

Skryemin, screaming. 

Skryempt, screamed. 

Skryemptn, they screamed. 

Scuse, or scuse, excuse, palliation. 

Skutter, to run in haste and terror : " He skuttert 

away." " They skuttertn off sharply." 
Skyoy, the sky. 
Skydym, or skym, to be distant, indifferent, disre- 



GLOSSARY. 227 

spectfully, cool in manner, and conversation. Over- 
dressed and nndertaught ladies often evince their 
superiority by skymin, and a very natural way it 
is, for those who have none other. Gentlemen 
also, or persons so called, have been known to 
skym in company of worse clad but better hearted 
men ; and " ministers " of religion are sometimes 
known to exhibit this sort of distance keeping, 
especially if a lady happen to set the example. 

Skydym, to be sickly, squeamish of food, affected, 
indifferent in manner ; skyoymous, squeamish, af- 
fected. 

Skydymin, acting affectedly, squeamishly. 

Skydymt, skyoymed. 

Skydymn, they skyoyme. 

Skydymtn, they skyoymed. 

Slack, a hollow place, a small valley. 

Slaigh, sloes, berries, of the blackthorn. 

Sleawgh, the same. 

Slaik, to lick with the tongue, to daub with slaver, to 
fawn. 

Slap, a smack, a blow with the open hand. 

Slankj soft, flexible. 

Slatt, to spill, to shed, to splash ; slatt, splashed ; 
slattin, splashing ; slattn, they splash ; slattnt, they 
splashed. 

Sldttert, spilled, shed. 

Staunches, a place near Rochdale. 

Slaver, slime of the mouth. 

Sleawm, to slumber. 

Sledwmin, slumbering. 

Sleaivms, slumbers. 

Sleawmt, slumbered. 

Sleawmn, thev slumber. 

Sleaw'mtn, they slumbered. 






228 GLOSSARY. 

Sleaivtch, slouch, to bend down; sleawichin, bending ; 
sleawtcht, slouched ; sleawtchin, slouching ; 
sleawtchn, they slouch; slewatchnt, they slouched. 

Sleek, the smallest pit coal ; also to slake, to quench ; 
sleckt, quenched ; sleckin, quenching. 

Slcckn, they quench. 

Slecknt, they quenched. 

Sled, a carriage without wheels, a sledge. 

Sleet, snow and rain. 

Sleety, given to sleet. 

Sleeveliss, purposeless, ineffectual. 

Sleveliss-ar'nt, an errand to no purpose, not likely to 
succeed. 

Slice, a flat bit of wood used in the stirring of por- 
ridge or broth ; porridge slice ; also a slice of bacon 
or other meat. 

Slift, to slide, to shift. 

Slifter, a thing to slide. 

S lifter in, sliding in a groove. 

Slicken, slack, pliant. 

Slim, slender, light, pliable. 

Slivvin, a number of hanks of yarn. 

Slaunt, insincerity, scornful praise, pretension. 

Slob, slutch, mire. 

Slobby, miry, splashy. 

Slont, to slant, to lean. 

Slontin, slanting. 

Slooar, to grasp (obs.) 

Sloode, the track of wheels (obs.) 

Sloppery, dirty, miry. 

Slot, a slit, a slide for a thing to move in. 

Slotch, a gluttonous drunken clown; slotchin, gob- 
bling, wallowing. 

Slotcht, wallowed to bursting : " He slotcht it, didno 
he?" 



GLOSSARY. 229 

Sldwtter, slaughter. 

Sldwtterin, slaughtering. 

Sldwttert, slaughtered. 

Sldwttern, they slaughter. 

Sldwttertn, they slaughtered. 

Slovn, split, cloven ; sldvnt, cleft, also they cleft ; 

sldvnin, cleaving. 
Slov'en'n, they cleave. 
Sloy'ther, to loiter, to be idle ; sloytherin, loitering ; 

sloythert, loitered. 
Sloy'them, they loiter. 
Sloy thertn, they loitered. 
Slummer, to slumber. 
Slummer in, slumbering. 
Slummer t, slumbered. 
Slummem, they slumber. 
Slummertn, they slumbered. 
Slurr y to slide ; slurrin, sliding ; slum, they slide ; 

slurdn, they did slide. 
Slutch, mud, sludge. 
Slutchy, muddy. 
Slyet, to encourage, to excite, to set a dog at a person. 

"Why didto slyet tli' dhog at him? " 
Slyet in, exciting, encouraging ; slyetn, they excite. 
Slyetnt, they excited. 
Slatt, splashed. 
Smash, to break to pieces ; smashin, crashing to 

pieces ; smasht, broken. 
Smashn, they break. 
Smdshnt, they broke. 
Smatch, an incipient disorder, as, " a smatch ov a 

fever " means inclined to fever. 
Smeawtch, a kiss. 
Smedwtchin, kissing. 

20 



230 GLOSSARY. 

Smedivtchn, they kiss. 

Smedwtchnt, they kissed. 

Smeln, they smell. 

Smeltn, they smelled. 

Smit, or smut, a spot. 

Sm'itty, necky, spotted. 

Smo, small ; smder, smaller ; smdist, smallest. 

Smock, a woman's shift. 

Smdck-fac't, white-faced. 

Smook, to smoke. 

Smdokin, smoking. 

Smookt, smoked. 

Smdokn, they smoke. 

Smdoknt, they smoked. 

Smoor, to smother. 

Smdorin, smothering. 

Smoort, smothered. 

Smoorm, they smother. 

Smdortn, they smothered. 

Smoot, smooth. 

Smdoler, smother. 

Smdotist, smoothest. 

Smudge, a stink. 

Smudgy, stinking. 

Snape, or sneype, to check, to reprimand : " He 
sneypt em/' he reproved them. 

Snaffle, to speak through the nose ; snaffln, they 
snaffle; snaffltn, they snaffled. 

Sneck, a string to pull up the latch of a door. 

Sneeze, snuff; also sneeze or neeze, from taking snuff; 
sneeze-hum, a horn to hold snuff. 

Sniddle, long grass or stubble. 

Snidge, a greedy, sordid, good-for-nothing person. 

Snidgy, shabby, mean. 



GLOSSARY. 231 

Snift, a moment : " It's dun in a snift ; " also to Bnift 

at the nose. 
Snig, an eel; also to snatch a thing : " He snig'd it 

fromeh," he snatcht it from me. 
Snifter, to whimper, to cry ; snifterin, crying. 
Sniftert, cried. 
Snift em, they cry. 
Sniftertn, they cried. 
Snif terin-fellow , a pitiful fellow. 
Snip, to break off a small piece j snipt, broken. 
Snippin, breaking. 
Sniptn, they break. 
Sniptnt, they broke. 
Snite, to blow the nose. 
Snob, a shoemaker, or rather a cobbler, a patcher, an 

underworker. 
Snoblint, snow-blind, short-sighted. 
Snod, smooth, sleek, and snug. 
Snoode, a fillet to tie up a woman's hair, (obs.) 
Snook, to smell, to go about smelling. 
Snoor, to snore in sleep. 
Snoor in, snoring. 
Snoort, snored. 

Snoom, they snore ; snoor tn, they snored. 
Snot, mucus of the brain. 
Sndtter, to discharge snot. 
Snooze, to slumber, a doze. 
Snodzin, dozing ; snoozt, dozed ; snoozn, they doze ; 

snooztn, they dozed. 
Snub, to check, to reprove. 
Snubbin, reprehending, huffing contemptuously. 
Snubbd, huffed. 
Snubbn, they huff. 
Snubbnt, they huffed. 



232 GLOSSARY. 

Sniiddle, to lie close together, to cuddle. 

Snuft, to snuff up the nose. 

Snuftin, smelling, snuffing. 

Sny, to indicate dislike, or indifference, by look or 
maimer ; to be squeamish or delicate in food. Thus 
a good dame would say to her young and over- 
indulged boy, or to her tea-loving daughter : 
" Come, getthe brekfust ettn, and dunno sit snyin 
theer. Thoose porritch, awm sure, ar good enoof 
for ony lady or gentlemon i'th' lond, an ivthe 
arno' good enoof for thee, theaw mungo beawt, 
that's o\" 

$oe, to sew; soin, sewing. 

Sone } sewn ; sodn, they sewed ; also to sow grain. 

Sogg, a heavy clumsy blow or push ; sogger, a blow 
or push that sickens, that hurts grievously. 

Sokkn, soaked, saturated. 

Soltch, a heavy fall. 

Soltcht, fell heavily. 

Soltchn, they fall. 

Soltchnt, they fell. 

Sondj sand; sondy, sandy. 

Sdnded, sanded. 

Soont, sand ; soont-hole, a place near Rochdale. 

Soo, a sow, a pig. 

SoOj to sigh, to moan. 

Sdoin, sighing, moaning of the wind ; noise of distant 
waters ; sood, moaned ; soon, they moan ; soodn, 
they moaned. 

Sdoly, grimy, unwashed. 

Sootier, more sooly. 

Soolyist, most sooly. 

Sdople, a supple, a stick of hazel or ash ; a twisted 
sprout, by means of which blacksmiths hold their 



GLOSSARY. 233 

chisels or punches, whilst they cut or indent hot 

or cold iron ; also a description of thrown silk. 
Soor, sore; sodry, sorry. 
Sdoryer, more sorry, 
Soor y is t, most sorry. 
Sope, a sup, a small draught. 
Soss, to plump down on a seat. 
Sdssin, lounging, idling. 
So't, so it : " An so't wur dunwi," and so it was done 

with. 
Sot, sat; sdtten, seated. 
Sow, the head. 

Sowd, sold ; Sow'dn, we or they sold. 
Sowgh, to sigh ; sowght, sighed ; sow'ghn, we or they 

sigh; soughnt, we or they sighed. 
Soy I, soil, also to soil, to make unclean ; soy It, soiled ; 

soy lln, soiling, spotting; soy In, they soil; sdyltn, they 

soiled. 
Soyne, or sooyne, soon. 
Soy'ner, sooner. 
Soy'nist, soonest. 

Spade-graft, a spade-depth ; to delve a spade deep. 
Spank, to provoke. 
Spdnkin, provoking ; also dashing : " He's a spankin 

felley." 
Spare, thin, slender : " He's very spare," he's very 

slender. 
Sparrow -bills, short nails used by shoemakers. 
Sparth, a place near Rochdale. 
Speawt, a spout, also to harangue. 
Spedwting, spouting. 
Spedwted, spouted. 
Spedwtn, they spout. 
Spediotnt, they spout; s])edivtnt, they spouted. 

2.0 § 



234 GLOSSARY. 

Speek, he spoke. 

Speekn, they spoke. 

Spokkn, spoken. 

Speer, or spier, a boarded partition betwixt the door 
and the fire of the cottage, to keep the wind 
off. 

Spelk, a splinter of wood used to keep a broken limb 
in its proper position ; spelkt, bound with spelks 
and tape. 

Spelkin, applying spelks. 

Spelkn, they spelk. 

Spelknt, they speiked. 

Sperr, to inquire. 

Sperrin, inquiring. 

Sperrd, inquired. 

Sperm, they inquire. 

Sperrdn, they inquired. 

Splinter, a piece, a fragment. 

Splutter, hurry, confusion ; spluttertn, they hurried. 

Spin'threed, a place near Rochdale. 

Spod, or spodden, a stream in Spotland, near Roch- 
dale. 

Spoe, a spaw, a mineral spring. 

Spokes, staves. 

Spokn, spoken. 

Spon, a span ; also to span. 

Spdnnin, spanning. 

Spond, spanned. 

Spdndn, they spanned. 

Spon-new, quite new. 

Spone, spawn. 

Spon t, spawned. 

Spdnein, spawning. 

Spon'n, they spawn. 



GLOSSARY. 235 

Spontn, they spawned. 

Spoos, spools, bobbins for weavers. 

Spote, lie or she spat. 

Spoyl, to spoil; spdylin, spoiling; spoylt, spoiled; 

spoyln, they spoil. 
Spdyftn, they spoiled. 
Sprad, was spread ; also did spread. 
Spreawt, to sprout, to bud, also to sprout. 
Spredivtin, sprouting. 
Spredwted, sprouted. 
Spredivtn, they sprout. 
Spredwtnt, they sprouted. 
Sprit, to vegetate, to sprout ; sprittin, sprouting ; 

spritt, sprouted. 
Spritn, they sprout. 
Spritnt, they sprouted. 
Sprod, to spread, to swagger ; sproddin ; swaggering ; 

sprodd, swaggered. 
Sprodn, they swagger. 
Sprddnt, they swaggered. 

Sprote, to brag, to amplify, to display; sprdtin, brag- 
ging ; sproted, bragged ; sprdtn, they brag. 
Sprotni, they bragged. 
Sproze, to talk big, to swagger ; sprdzin, self-exalting ; 

sprozt, self-exalted ; sprdzn, they sproze ; sprdznt, 

they sprozed. 
Spudd, a gush of water. 

Splitter, to stutter, in an angry, confused manner. 
Sputterin, stuttering. 
Sputtert, stuttered. 
Sputtern, they stutter. 
Spuitertn, they stuttered. 
Spwort, sport; spwdrtin, sporting; spwdrted, sported; 

spwdrtn, they sport; spvidrtnt, they sported. 



236 GLOSSARY. 

Spyek, to speak, also spoke; spyekin, speaking; 

spyekn'n, they speak; spyeknt, they spoke. 
Stddles, marks of the smallpox. 
Stakehill, near Middleton. 
Stall, or Steyle, a handle to a vessel or tool. 
Stang, a pole ; stangin, carrying hay to the barn on 

poles ; stangd, carried on poles ; stang, to carry on 

poles ; stang n, they carry on poles ; stangnt, they 

carried on poles. 
Stang, it stung. 
Stdnniel, a hawk. 
Stdmiicliffe, near Middleton. 
Stark, utterly, entirely, as, "stark mad, stark naked;" 

also to be stiff and sore from over exertion, as, 

" Awm stark wi wawkin." Starkn, to stiffen ; 

starknt, stiffened. 
Star't, stared ; starin, staring ; starn, they stare ; 

stdrtn, they stared : 

" Byth mass heaw they star't, 
When aw geet toth' Mumps ; 
Meh owd hat imeh hont, 

An meh chlogs full o'stumps." 

JONE O' GrBEENPILT. 

Stawk, a stalk ; also to stride ; stdwkin, striding ; 

stawtk, stridden. 
Stdwkn, they stride. 
Stdwknt, they strode. 
Stamp, to step clumsily. 
Stawmp, the same. 
Stdwmpin, stamping. 

Stdwter, to totter, to stumble ; stdwtert, tottered. 
Stdwtern, they totter. 
Staiv'tertn, they tottered. 
Steawk, a stalk, a handle. 
Steawp, to stoop. 



GLOSSARY. 237 

Stedwpin, stooping. 

Stedwpt, stooped. 

Stedwpn, they stoop. 

Stedwpnt, they stooped. 

Stediop an redwp, a clearing off; a going through with 

a thing : " He's taen o' at they hadn, steawp an 

reawp." 
Steaiund, to astound. 
Stedwnded, astounded. 
Steawt, stout. 

Steep, rennet, the juice of a calf's maw. 
Steigh, a ladder, also a stile. 
Stiddy, steady, also an anvil. 
Stickle, to stand up for a cause, to adhere, to reiterate ; 

s tic' kit, stood up, abided by ; s tic' kin, they stickle ; 

stic'kltn, they stickled. 
Stickle-butt, to persist right or wrong ; to go head 

first at a thing. 
Stirk, a young beast. 
Stoe, to stop, to be set fast. 
Sto d, stopped. 
Stdin, stopping. 
Sto' n, they stop. 
Stodn, they stopped. 
Ston, or stond, stand. 
Stdnnin, or stdndin, standing. 
Stones-match, a red-start. 
Stoode, stood. 
Stdodn, they stood. 
Stoo, a low seat, a three-legged stool. 
Stoop, and stud, a stump, a post to protect foot roads, 

and passages in fields. 
Stdttar, to stagger. 
Stottart, staggered. 
Stotterin, staggering. 



238 GLOSSARY. 

Stottem, they stagger. 

Siottertn, they staggered. 

St own, stolen. 

Strdcklin, a rash, giddy person. 

Strati, distracted, phrenzied. 

Straunge, strange. 

Streng, string. 

Strey, straw. 

Strey-berry, strawberry,^/, the same. 

Strike, two pecks. 

St'rikle, a fiat piece of wood to mete com in the 

measure. 
Str inkle, to sprinkle. 

Strines, handles of a barrow, sides of a ladder. 
Strdddle, to straddle. 
Strdddlin, stradling. 
Strdddln, they straddle. 
Strdddltn, they straddled. 
Stroke, he struck. 
Strdkn, they struck. 
Str 6 Hop, an untidy female. 
Strollops, rags, tatters, dirt : " Theaw great strollops ;" 

strdllopin, gadding about all strollops. 
Str owl, to stroll. 
Strdwlin, strowling. 
Strowlt, strolled. 
Strowln, they stroll. 
Strdwltn, they strolled. 
Strung, strong ; strunk, the same. 
Strushon, waste. 
Strushons, wastefulness. 
Str'yem, stream, 
Str'yemin, streaming. 
Stryemn, they stream. 






GLOSSARY. 239 

Stryemtn, they streamed. 

Stub, a short stump. 

Stumpy, short, dumpy. 

Stunnish, to stun ; also, to sprain a joint. 

Siunnisht, stunned. 

Stunnishin, stunning. 

Stunnishn, they stun. 

Stunnishnt, they stunned. 

Stur, stir ; sturrin, stirring ; sturd, stirred . 

Stum, they stir. 

Sturdn, they stirred. 

Stutt, to stutter. 

Stuttin, stuttering. 

Stutted, stuttered. 

Stuttn, they stutter. 

Stuttnt, they stuttered. 

Styek, a steak ; also, to stake a wager. 

Sty em, steam. 

Styemin, steaming. 

Styemt, steamed. 

Styemn, they steam. 

Sty'emtn, they steamed. 

Sulky, sullen, ill-tempered. 

Sum, some. 

Sum'mut, somewhat. 

Sum'thin, something. 

Sum'dy, somebody. 

Sumheaw, somehow. 

Sum gate, some manner. 

Sunk, a song : " Come, givus a sunk.^ 

Sunkn, sunk, put down. 

Sur, sir. 

Suse, six. 

Suss, come hither to a dog. 

Suss-middin, a lazy woman, too idle to move from her seat. 



240 GLOSSARY. 

Swab, to swoon. 

Swdbbin, swooning. 

Swabd, swooned. 

Sivdbn, they swoon. 

Swdbntj they swooned. 

Swad, a husk. 

Swdddy, husky. 

Swddlins, wrappers and clothes for infants. 

Sivage, to assuage, to mitigate. 

Swdilor, a wholesale corn or provision dealer. 

Swdrfy, dun, dark coloured. 

Swathe, or swaith, grass put aside by the scythe of 

the mower. 
Swathe -bawk, to leave grass uncut, in the sweeps of 

the scythe. 
Swat, past tense of sweat. 

Swatch, a patch, a fragment ; swatches, patches. 
Swat tie, to dabble, to waste. 
Swatter, the same. 
Siveel, a great blaze. 
Sweelin, burning, blazing. 
Swelt, to melt with heat. 
Swelled, melted. 
Sweltin, melting. 
Swelt ert, melted. 
Swelter in, melting. 
Swelt em, they melt. 
Sweltertn, they melted, 
Swet, to sweat. 
Sivettin, sweating. 
Swetted, sweated. 
Swetn, they sweat. 
Swetnt, they sweated. 
Swilk, to splash, to spill out of a vessel, 



GLOSSARY. 24-1 

Swilkin, spilling. 

Sivilkt, spilled. 

Swilkn, they spill. 

Swilknt, they spilled. 

Swill, to drink, to guzzle, also to rince, to wash ont a 

vessel. 
Swillin, drinking. 
Swilldj drank. 
Swill n, they drink. 
Swilldn, they drank. 
Swillins, hog's meat. 
Swingin, waving to and fro, suspended. 
Swingin- sticks, hazle rods to beat or batt wool. 
Swingle, a stretcher to a plough. 
Swingein, big, heavy. " A swingein piece of beef." 
Swinhert, a swineherd. 
Swipper, active, lithe, agile. 
Swipperly, actively : " He ran swipperly." 
Swither, to dry np, to wither ; also to burn. 
Switherin, burning. 
Swithn, twisted, crooked, writhen. 
Swol, to fasten cattle in their boose ; swolt, fastened ; 

swollin, fastening. 
Swhop, soap. 
Swort, sort, also the hyde of a pig ; swortin, sorting ; 

sworted, sorted. 
Sworter, sorter. 
Swdrtn, they sort. 
Swortnt, they sorted. 
Sidda, Siddal, near Middleton; Sidda-moor, near 

the same, now inclosed. 
Sye, or sie, to drain milk or wort, through a sieve ; 

also to rain very fast : " It kept syin, and 



raimn." 



21 



242 GLOSSARY. 

Syel, to seal. 

Syelin, sealing. 

Syelt, sealed. 

Syeln, they seal. 

Syeltn, they sealed. 

Syem, a seam ; syemster, a seamer, one who sews. 

Syemin, seaming. 

Syemt, seamed. 

Syemn, they seam. 

Syemtn, they seamed. 

Syet, seat; sy'eted, seated. 

Syetin, seating. 

Syetn, they seat. 

Syetnt, they seated. 

Syez, to seize ; syest, seized ; syezin, seizing. 

Syezn, they seize. 

Syestn, they seized. 

Syezn, season. 

Ta, take ; t a' care, take care. 

Tae, take ; tae't, take it. 

Ta't, the same; tak't, the same; taen, taken. 

Tae't-the, take it thee. 

Tak, take; tan, taken. 

Tan't, taken it. 

Tameh, take me. 

Tandle-hills, hills near Middleton. 

Tantrum, a fit of impatience. 

Tarry, to stay, to remain at a place. 

Tarry in, remaining. 

Tdrrid, remained. 

Tdrryn, they remain. 

Tdrridn, they remained. 

Tat, that ; ta't, take it. 



GLOSSARY. 243 

Ta'tthe, take it thee. 

Tdtchin, the end of a cobbler's thread ; tat chins, ends 

of threads. 
Tata, or Tdt-lia, a child's word for going out : "Gooin 

a tat-ta. 
Taw, a game at marbles; also a favourite marble used 

to knuckle with. 
Taivk, talk ; tdwldn, talking ; tawkt, talked. 
Taw'kn, they talk. 
Taiv'knt, they talked. 
Tawm, to tame. 
Tawmin, taming. 
Tawmt, tamed. 
Taw'mn, they tame. 
Taw'mtn, they tamed. 
Taivm, tome, or toom, to swoon; also a belching of 

water from the mouth. 
Tay'lior, a tailor ; also a family name. 
Tedcln, they had. " Tean had it." 
Team, they were. 
Tedstril, a person of slight character; also a small 

keg. " Hoos a teastril." 
Teat, to eat : " Nowt feat." 
Team, thou : " Wheer arteaw comn fro V 
Teaw, in two, in several pieces: "He pood it i'teaw." 
Tedwin, teasing, persuading, urging. 
Teaivn, a town. 
Tedwil, a towel. 
Teawst, or theawst, thou shalt. 
Teawze, to tease. 
Tedwzin, teasing. 
Teawzt, teased. 
Tedwzn, they tease, 
Tedwznt, they teased. 



244 GLOSSARY. 

Tedwzle, to tussle, to pull about ; teawzlt, tussled. 

Tedwzlin, tussling. 

Tedwzln, they tussle. 

Tedwzltn, they tussled. 

Tebb, Edmund ; Tebby, and Lebby, the same. 

Tedd, to turn hay in the field ; teddin, turning hay ; 

tedded, turned hay ; tedds, turns hay ; teddn, they 

turn hay. 
Teddnt, they turned hay. 
Tee, thee, as, ' ( whot tee ?" spoken contemptuously, or 

in surprise : " It tat tee ?" r. w. see. 
Tee, to tie ; r. w. e'e. 
Teein, tying ; teed, tied. 
Teen, they tie ; teedn, they tied, also a rope, a band : 

" A keaw-tee," a hair rope to bind the legs of cows 

whilst they are being milked. 
Teer, to rend, to bear. 
Teerin, tearing ; teem, they tear ; teertn, they tore ; 

also teer, they are; team, they were. 
Teem, to pour ; teemin, pouring ; teems, pours. 
Teemn, they pour. 
Teemtn, they poured. 
Teeny, tiny, little, pettish, fretful. 
Terns, a sieve ; temd, poured out ; temdn, they poured. 
Tennil, a large basket. 
Tent, to watch, to guard. 
Ten'ter, a watcher. 
Ten/tin, watchin ; tents, watches ; tented, watched ; 

tentn, they watch. 
Tentnt, they watched. 
Ten'ters, wooden frames formed of strong posts and 

moveable rails, which being fixed in a field, and 

studded with tenter-hooks, are used to stretch and 

dry flannel pieces upon. 



GLOSSARY. 245 

Tenter -croft, a piece of land in which tenter-frames 
are placed. 

Teytch, teach. 

Tey'tchin, teaching. 

Teytcht, taught. 

Tey'tchn, they teach. 

Tey'tchnt, they taught. 

Th 3 , abbreviation of thou or the. 

Th 3 Wilderniss, a place in Hopwood. 

Th 3 Yettns, the Great and Little Heatons, near Man- 
chester. 

Th 3 Gdlloivs, name of a place near Milnrow. 

Thdrcake, a cake made from meal, treacle, and butter, 
and used on the night of the fifth of November. 

That'll, that will : " That'll doo." 

ThdVn, that way ; athdtns, in that way. 

Thearn, they were. 

Theaw, thou ; theaws, thou has ; theawst, thou shalt ; 
theawrt, thou art. 

Theawll, thou wilt. 

Theawm, thumb. 

Thedwmin, thumbing. 

Thedwn-screw , thumb-screw. 

Thedwsun, thousand. 

Thed, theaw had : "Thed better not." 

Thefnicute, or Fefnicute, a sneaking, hypocritical 
person. 

Theegh, thigh. 

Thee er, there : " thee-er, that'll doo." 

Theese, these ; tees, the same ; teesn, or theesn, these 
han, these have. 

Theydn, they had. 

Theym, them. 

Theyn, they have, or they will. 

21 § 






246 GLOSSARY. 

Theyrn, they wurn, they were. 

Thible, or Thibble, a bit of flat wood, about a foot in 

length, to stir porridge or furmenty with. 
Thin, than : r. w. in. 
Think, thing : used contemptuously : " Whot sitch a 

think as thee?" 
Thill, to draw in the shafts of a cart ; thill-hawse, the 

shaft horse ; thillin, drawing in shafts. 
Th'illd, drawn in shafts. 
Th'illn, drew in shafts. 
Th'illdn, they drew in shafts. 
Thisn, in this way : " sithe, he dus't a thisn." 
Thoddn, sadden, doughy. 
Thoddn, bread, doughy bread, 
Thoe, to thaw. 
Thoin, thawing. 
Thoad, thawed. 
Thoan, thawn. 

Thodal, or Thoal, to afford, to put up with. 
Thodan, or Thoan, thawn, wet, damp. 
Thodant, thawed. 

Thong, a leathern tie, or band ; thonk, the same. 
Thdoze, or thoose, those. 
Thodsn, those will. 
Thodsr, those are. 

Thorpe, a fold of houses near Roy ton. 
Thrang, thrung, thrunk, a throng, a crowd ; also busy, 

beset with affairs : " Dustono see heaw thrunk I 



am." 



Thrap-wife, a bye-word : "As thrung as Thrap-wife." 
Thrapt, or Thryept, disputed, denied, contended. 
Thrave, twenty- four sheaves of corn. 
Thraw, to argue, to dispute. 
Threed, thread. 



GLOSSARY. 217 

Threedy, thready. 

Threedneeld, threadneedle. 

Threed-mill, in Crompton. 

Thrift, a pain in the hips or joints of the limbs, inci- 
dental to young persons. 

Thrimble, to trifle, to hesitate, to crumble bread : 
" Whot dusto ston thrimblin theer for?" 

Thrimmo, ill spun yarn. 

Throddy, short, dampy. 

Throe, a forked stick, which is used by laying it across 
a mug or tub, to support a sieve, whilst milk or 
other liquid is drained through it. 

Throo, through. 

Throssle, throstle, a singing bird. 

Throtteen, thirteen (not generally used). 
Throttle, to gripe the throat, to choke with griping. 
Thrdttlin, choking. 
Throttlt, choked. 
Throttln, they choke. 
Throttltn, they choked. 
Throyt, throat ; throoat, in some localities. 
Thrum, the end of a warp. 
Thrums, ends. 
Thrut, thrown. 
Thrutn, they threw. 

Thrutch, to push, to shove, to press ; thrutchin, push- 
ing, pressing. 
Thrutcht, pushed. 
Thrut' chn, they push. 
Thrut' chnt, they pushed. 
Thrut'chins, the last pressed whey, when cheese is 

made. 
Thunner, thunder. 

Thunner -bowt, thunder-bolt ; thunnerhi, thundering ; 
thunner t, thundered ; thunner s, it thunders. 



248 GLOSSARY. 

Thurn, a thorn. 

Thurston, or Thorstonfowd, in Uns worth. 

Thwack, a hard blow, a sudden fall : " He fell thwack 

oW floor." 
Thwang, a heavy fall, a blow, or a large piece of meat : 

"He took a thwangin lump." 
Thwite, to cut with a knife. 
Thw'ittle, a wooden-hafted knife. 
Thwol, to thole, to afford, allow, provide. 
Tickle-butt, headlong, impetuous : " He ran tickle- 
butt." 
Tift, a state of good or bad condition for the perform- 
ance of an undertaking : " He's sure to win ; he's 
i'very good tift." 
Tike, an overgrown man or beast ; a remarkable hu- 
man or brute : " He's a fine tike." 
Tilli, till I : " Tarry tilli come." Tillhoo, till she. 
Tim'mersum, somewhat timid. 
Tin, or toyn, rm, with, in ; to shut, to close : " Tin 

th' dur," shut the door ; tin'd, shut. 
Tinge, a tick, a small red bug. 
Tis, this : " Whot tis article?" 

Ti, thy ; tine, thine : " Iz tat ti tit ?" (C Iz tat tine ?" 
Tit, a nag, a horse. 
Tiiherup, a hand gallop. 
Titter, to laugh ; also a ring- worm. 
Titty -meawse, titmouse, a bird. 
To, thou; as wilto, wilt thou? munto, must thou? 

hdsto, hast thou ? 
Tone, the one, as, " Th' tone on us mun doo it," the 

one of us must do it. 
Tono, thou not ; as, drtono ? art thou not ? ddrtono ? 

darest thou not ? hdstono ? hast thou not ? 
Too, to, on the spot, in contact with ; as, " He went 
too em ;" " Put that dur too," shut that door. 



GLOSSARY. 249 

Todart, toward. 

Todkn, pi. of took. Aw took ; we tookn. 

Toose, or thoose, those. 

Toot, to pry ; todtin, prying ; toots, pries. 

Tooted, pryed. 

Todtn, they pry. 

Todtnt, they pryed. 

Tomdrn to-morrow. 

Tord, toward ; tort, the same. 

Tdther, the other. 

Tore, to endeavour strenuously ; torin, labouring 
assiduously and faring hardy ; torin on, to contrive 
to exist by the hardest labour, and on the barest 
means : " Aye poor things, they hanno a greadly 
livin, theyn nobbut a torin on ; " " Theyn a very 
hard torin on." 

Tow, toll; towd, tolled. 

Tdwin, tolling ; town, they toll ; towdn, they tolled ; 
also tow, to toll bells. 

Towd, told, informed. 

Tow'dn, they informed. 

Towf, tough. 

Tow'ffy, toffy. 

Toynt, shut, fastened. 

Toy'nin, shutting: " Toyne th' dur," shut the door. 

Toy'ar, to tire ; toyerin, tiring j toyers, tires. 

Toy'ert, tired. 

Toyern, they tire. 

Toy'ertn, they tired. 

Toy'ersum, tiresome. 

Traips, to go on a useless errand; trdipsln, going 
about uselessly, tiresomely. 

Tramp, a foot traveller. 

Tramps, travels on foot. 



250 GLOSSARY, 

Tram' pin, travelling on foot; trampt, travelled on 
foot ; trampn, they travel on foot. 

Tram'pnt, they travelled on foot. 

Trashes, worn out shoes. 

Traunce, or treawnce, a tedious walk, a round-about 
journey. 

Treawnce, to prosecute, to bring to punishment : 
" Awll treawance the rascot." 

Treawt, a trout. 

Treddle, (Troedlas/cymraeg), part of a loom ; treddles, 
traddles \ Treddlin, working the treddles. 

Trest, a strong bench, a butcher's block. 

Treaivil, a trowel. 

Trig, to run at a measured pace : " He trig'd it 
nicely ;" " He's trig'd, an gon off." 

Trin'dle, a wheel of a barrow ; also to bowl a hoop ; 
trindlin, bowling ; trindlt, bowled. 

Trindln, they bowl. 

Trin'dltn, they bowled ; also trindle, a fringe, a ruff : 
as a "trindlt shurt," a shirt with a ruffle at the breast. 

Trip' pit, a quarter of a pound. 

Trot, to joke, to satirize, to provoke ; also to mystify, 
to mislead by way of amusement to the trotter ; 
trottin, joking. 

Trotted, joked ; trotin, they joke ; trottnt, they trotted. 
In the days of Pitt's wars, and paper money, "Bowtn 
trotters " excited the curiosity, and the caution 
also, of every stranger who stopped in the town. 

Trows, a place in the township of Castleton, near 
Rochdale. 

Trub-smithy, on the road betwixt Middleton and 
Rochdale. The door of an old public-house there 
is supposed to be the spot where the unlucky ad- 
venture of Tummus and his cawve took place ; vide 
Tummus and Mearv, 






GLOSSARY. 251 

Turn, Tom ; Red Tumnook, at Oldham. 

Tumd, slightly carded; tumd wool. 

Tunchil (Celtic, a circle), a place in Butter worth, near 

Eochdale. 
Tung, tongue. 
Tangs, fire-irons, tongs. 
Tung, or tonge, a township near Middleton. 
Tuppence, two-pence. 
Tiirmit, a turnip. 
Turney, an attorney : 

" Then he, being dresst, all in his best, 

" An fittin for a jurney. 
" Everybody at he met — 

" Took him to be a turney." 

Tussle, or teawzle, to struggle in play ; to pull," to 
romp ; also to have a bout at wrestling or fighting : 
" Theydn a sharp tussle for it." 

Tuttle, an awkward person in shape and manner, (obs.) 

Twaddle, gossip, silly prate ; twadlin, prating. 

Twdddlt, prated. 

Twaddles, prates. 

Twdddln, they prate. 

Twdddltn, they prated. 

Twain, two. 

Twdttle, tattle. 

Twdttlt, tattled. 

Twdttln, they tattle. 

Twdttltn, they tattled. 

Twin' dies, twins. 

Twindlin, a twin. 

Twin'dlt, twin-born. 

Twinge, a shooting pain, a pang. 

Twinter, a year old heifer. 

Twirl-poo, a whirlpool. 



252 GLOSSARY. 

Twitch, to pinch, to nip. 

Twitch-clock, the black-beetle; twitchin, nipping; 

tivitcht, nipped. 
Twitcher, a nipper. 
Twitchn, they nip. 
Twitchnt, they nipped. 
Tiv'itter, to titter, to laugh. 
Tvj'itterin, tittering. 
Twitters, titters. 
Twittern, they titter. 
Twitter tn, they tittered. 
Tivod, a toad. 
Twdd-stump, the toadstool, a fungus ; twod-rudd, the 

spawn of toads. 
Twos, or too as, the toes. 
Tivund, twined. 
Twun'dn, they twined. 
Twur, it was. 
Twurno, it was not. 
Twy, twice. 
Tyke, see tike. 

Tyem, a team ; tyemster, driver of a team. 
Tyemin, team-driving. 

Tyesty, or Tyestyment, the New Testament. 
Tyez, to tease, to importune, to annoy. 
Tyezin, teasing ; tyest, teased ; tyezer, teaser. 
Tyezn, they tease. 
Tyeztn, they teased. 

U'llert, owlert, a young owl : " Come here theaw yung 

ullert. 
Urn,, and 'Em, them. 
Un, one : " He's a great un ;" also, Un, and : " Un 

aw went," and I went. 



i 






GLOSSARY. 253 

Un'kuth, or Uncuth, uncooth, uncommon : " Its a 

great unkuth, to leet o'yo." 
Unlaight, or Unledwght, unlaughed. 
Uphowd, or Ophoivd, to uphold ; ophowdte, uphold 

thee : " Awll ophowdte/ ; I will uphold thee in it ; 

ophdwdn, upholden ; ophowds, upholds ; ophdwdnt, 

they upheld. 
Urchon, a hedgehog. 
Ust, used ; Usn, they use. 
Ustn, they used. 
Uz, us. 
Uz'zit, the letter Z, 

Varment, vermin. 

Varra, very (used in some places only) . 

Vdrsal, universal ; " Varsal ward," universal world. 

View tree, yew tree. 

Voyce, the voice. 

Vyely veal. 

Waes nive I woe is me. 

Wdeny, tending to wane, to diminish. 

Wake, a yearly feast ; rushbearing. 

Wakes o'th' meawth, the extremities of the lips, the 

corners of the mouth. 
Waint, clever, stout. 
Wain'tly, cleverly, readily. 
Wdkker, to tremble, to shiver. 
Wdkkert, trembled. 
Wdkker s, trembles. 
Wdkkerin, trembling. 
Wdkkern, they tremble. 
Wdkker tn, they trembled. 
Wdllit, a wallet, a poke. 

22 



254 GLOSSARY. 

Warn, a place near Rochdale. 

Wam'ble, to stagger. 

Wam'bly, faintly, weakly. 

Wap, to move quickly : ec He wapt past ;" " Aw just 
geet a wap on him f also a process at law out of 
the Wapentake Court. 

Warch, to ache; " My heart warches," my heart 
aches. 

Wdrchin, aching. 

Warcht, ached. 

Warchn, they ache. 

War'chnt, they ached. 

War' die , a hamlet near Rochdale. 

Ward d God, world of God, all the world. 

Warr, worse. 

Warr an warr, worse and worse. 

Wdrry, to curse. 

Warr id, cursed. 

Warr in, they curse. 

War'ridn, they cursed. 

War'rittn, Warrington ; doubtless so named from its 
being the centre or rallying point of many bloody 
contests betwixt the Mercians and Northumbrians 
during the Heptarchy, on the very out-post of 
which latter kingdom, and on the banks of the 
Mersey, it was and is situated. 

Wark, work. 

Wdrkin, working. 

Warkt, worked. 

Wdrkmon, workman. 

Warlock, a wizard. 

Wdrlockin, wild, gamesome play ; pranking, noisy 
uproar. Thus a mother would call home her child- 
dren at nightfall : " Come intoth heawse ; whot 



GLOSSARY. 255 

aryo rompin an warlockin theer for, at this time 

oneet." 
Wdrlockt, ruffled, entangled, involved; as a coil of 

rope, a skein of thread : " Heaw's this rope gettn 

warlockt athisn?" 
Warlock -knot t a hard knot in timber. 
Warst, worst. 
Wastril, a good-for-nothing person : " He's a greadly 

wastril." 
Waughish, weary, sickly, faintly. 
Wawk, to walk. 
Waw'kin, walking. 
Waw'ker, walker. 
Wawks t walks. 
Waw'kn, they walk. 
Waw'knt, they walked. 
Wawk-mill, a fulling mill. 
Waivt, to upset, to fall aside : " Th' cart wawted 

intoth doytch;" "Th' owd felley wawted o' one 

side." 
Wawve, to upset, to turn over, or to put on one side : 

" He took howd ont, and wawvt it o'er ;" " Just 

wawve that flag o' one side abit." 
Way broad, the herb plantain. 
Weal, to choose, [doubtful.) 
Wear } to expend, to part with, to lay out money : 

" Mind heaw theaw wears the brass/' 
Weas-irie, woe-is me : an interjection of sorrow. 
Wedwghin, barking : " Th' dhog coom weawghin at 

meh heels/' 
Wean, or ivhean, a strumpet, a quean. 
Wedntly, or waintly, hearty, pretty well : " Heaw 

arto this mornin?" "Well, awm weantly, thank yo." 
Wedtur, water; Weatur-sheedins, a place at Oldham. 



256 GLOSSARY. 

Wedtur-tdwm, or tome, an efflux of watery fluid from 
the stomach, causing sickness and sometimes faint- 
ing; weatur -shaken, having an incontinence of 
urine. 

Weawnd, to wound, also a wound; weawnded, 
wounded. 

Weawnds, wounds. 

Weaw'nder, wounder. 

Weawndin, wounding, 

Weaw'ndn, they wound. 

Weaw'ndnt, they wounded. 

Web'ster, a weaver (nearly obs.) 

Week, to kick ; weekin, the kicking of a horse. 

Weeker, a kicker. 

Weel, well; prdtty-weel, pretty well. 

Weem, handy, convenient, ready : " It *s a very weem 
tool ; " ' ' It's quite weem at hond." 

Ween, we han, we have ; also we win, we will. 

Weedn, we hadn, we had. 

Weer, we are. 

Weet, wet ; also wee't, with it : " Awst want summut 
wee't," with it. 

Weetish, wettish. 

Weetn, they wet. 

Weeint, they wetted. 

Weld, boiled ; weld-milk, boiled milk (rarely used). 

Welkin, the firmament. 

Welley, or wellne, well nigh, nearly. 

Wem, or weme, the belly. 

Wench, a lass, a young girl ; wenchish, girlish. 

Wen' chin, seeking the company of a wench. 

Wentn, we, or they went. 

Whaw, why. 

Whean, ivheasand, the gullet. 



GLOSSARY. 257 

Wheawt, to whistle. 

Whedwtin, whistling. 

Whedwted, whistled. 

Whedwtn, we or they whistle. 

Whedwtnt, we or they whistled. 

Wheer, where. 

Wheeze, to make a noise in breathing. 

Wherken, to retch and choke from an effort to get up 
something from the gullet. 

Wherknt, having a momentary stoppage in the wind- 
pipe. 

Whcrr, sour : te As seawer as wherr." 

Wherrit, a box on the ear : " A good wherrit o' th 
yer." 

Wherry, to laugh, to giggle ; wherryin, laughing ; 
wherrid, laughed. 

Wherrin, they laugh. 

Wherridn, we or they laughed. 

Wh'iff-waff, trifling words or deeds ; whiffo-whaffo, the 
same. 

Whimper, to cry, to whine. 

Whinney, to neigh. 

Whinneyin, the neighing of a horse. 

Wliinnid, neighed. 

Whirlers, extra stocking legs, turned down about the 
ancles ; hay-bands are sometimes worn as whirlers. 

Whirl-bwons, the round of the human knee ; but all 
large bones of the thigh and leg are included in 
the term ; " Look at his great clumsy whirl-bwons/' 

Whisky, frisky, immodest. 

Whiskit, a basket : " Conyo lyend meh mother yore 
Yorshur whiskit ?" 

Wh'isk-tail, a wanton female. 

Wh itster, a bleacher. 



2 a 9 GLOSSASY. 

TVhitfeelt, a place in Croinpton. 
WK it-brook, a stream in Thorn li am. 
Lome. 
omly, homely. 
~h6msted, homestead. 
TVhon, a hone, a whetstone. 

~aat ; whot being chiefly used. 
ooa, who oas tat? who's that? ichooad, who 

had ? w^iooall ? who will ? 
~ho6-op, all OYer. finished^ done for. 
TThots, or m oafs. 

TThots, what is. 

:':: . whot-win, that is, what will: " "Whottn they 
y 

—hat will. 
Whottnd, what wotdd. 

- - : -hat wilt thou. " Whottleto doo Y" what 
wilt thou do ? 

-bhreviation of witli 
TTichurt. wet-shod. 
WU fc, quick, alive. 

hot, the mountain ash ; the rowan. 
:ii, a wild eat, The pole-cat. 
TTimeh, with me. 

in , \, will. 
; willn;: 

:. will not do. 
:": will not thou? 

rows, or coils of hay in meadows, 
TVitheai " rhout. 
Wither, swift, forcible. 

large, powerful: "He's a prreat witherin 



I 



GLOSSARY. 259 

Wiz'zn, to pine, to waste ; also to whine like a whelp : 

" Whot's this dhog wizznin for ?" 
Wiz'znt, pined, decayed. 
Wliod cake, or whot cake, oaten cake. 
Wofo, woeful. 
Woisty, spacious, empty : as, "A great woisty 

reawn." 
Wolfstone, in Nadinwater, a boundary mark betwixt 

the parishes of Rochdale, Middleton, and Bury. 
Wonn, or ivoan, to reside ; ivoans, lives, or dwells : 

" He woans at Chelburn ;" " He woant at yon 

heawses." 
Wonst, once. 
Woo, wool. 

Wooans, or ivoans, lives at a certain place. 
Wodant, lived. 
Wooann, they live. 
Wooantnt, they lived. 
Woode, mad ; stark woode, stark mad. 
Worr, or ivhor, what ; also ivorr, worse. 
Worr an ivorr, worse and worse. 
Worch, to work. 
W or chin, working. 
Wdrcher, a worker. 
Worcht, worked. 
Wdrchn, we or they work. 
Wdrchnt, we or they worked. 
Word, to hoard. 
Wordin, hoarding. 
Wdrder, a hoarder. 
Worded, hoarded. 
Wordn, they hoard. 
Wordnt, thev hoarded. 
Worse, hoarse. 



260 GLOSSARY. 

Worsniss, hoarseness. 

Wort, a word : " Let's have a wort withe V also new 

liquor drained from malt. 
Wott, hot ; wotter, hotter ; wotist, hottest. 
Wotony, a dilemma ; a surprise, an urgency : " Well, 

takthe time, an dunno be i'sitch a wotony." 
Wdtyel, a spindle made red-hot to burn holes in wood 

or other hard substance. 
Waugh, a wall ; warn, the same. 
Wrack, wreck ; wrack-an-rend, to wreck and tear, to 

destroy. 
Wrang, and wrank, wrong ; reet-wrank, quite wrong. 
Wrdkin, a wrekin, a chimney, a reekin place. 
Wr akin- hook, a hook fixed to a chain in a chimney, 

whereon to hang iron pots when over the fire. A 

pot-hook is a wrakin-hook. 
Wratch, a wretch. 

Wrawl, a brawl, a noisy contention. 
Wreet, a wright, a wheelwright. 
Wrossle, or wrostle, to wrestle. 
Wrosslin, wrestling. 
Wrossler, a wrestler. 
Wrosslt, wrestled. 
Wrossln, they wrestle. 
Wrossltn, they wrestled. 
Wry'not, a bye-word : " He shad (surpassed) Wrynot, 

an Wrynot shad the devil," 
Wry'thn, twisted, gnarled, cross-tempered ; u He's 

very wrythn to-day /' ; 
Wudd, or woode, mad. 
Wud, would. 
Wudto ? wouldst thou? 
Wudno, would not. 
Wudtono ? wouldst thou not ? 



GLOSSARY. 261 

Wuerdle, a hamlet near Rochdale. 

Wuns, or woans, or wdoans, lives at a place : " He 
wuns at yon biggins." Also an abbreviation of the 
word wounds, an old Papist oath, " Odds wuns," 
God's wounds. 

Wur, was ; ivurn, were. 

Wurnno, were not. 

Wurto, wast thou ? 

Wurtono, wast thou not ? 

Wurnnoyo, were you not ? 

Wurther, was there ? 

Wurtherno, was there not. 

Wycawe, a she-calf. 

Wynd, to wind with a wheel. 

Wy'nder, a winder of spools or bobbins for weavers : 

Ah ! well-a-day, the youth did say, 

I wish I didno mind hur, 
I'm sure had she regarded me, 

I ne'er had lost my wynder. 

Wynt, the wind; wynt-pipe, the wind-pipe. 
Wy thins, grey willows, osiers. 
Wy.zles, stalks, haulm of potatoes. 

Ydllo, yellow. 

Yarwmer, to yearn, to desire intensely. 

Yam'merin, yearning. 

Yammers, yearns. 

Yam'mert, yearned. 

Yam' mem 9 they yearn. 

Yammertn, they yearned. 

Yarb, a herb ; yarbs, herbs. 

Ydrbin, herbing, gathering herbs ; ydrber, a gatherer 

of herbs ; ydrbn, they gather herbs. 
Ydrbnt, they gathered herbs 



.262 GLOSSARY. 

Yark, to strike hard, and suddenly. 

Ydrley, early ; ydrleyer, earlier ; ydrleyist, earliest. 

Ydrrey, a variation of yury, hairy ; also ydrrey, acrid, 

strong flavoured, {nearly obs.) 
Yate, a gate, a moveable fence; Lidyate, or gate, a 

place in Saddle worth ; Cut-yate, near Rochdale. 
Yawk, or yolk, of an egg. 
Yean, to bring forth ; yeanin, bringing forth. 
Yednlin, a lamb just yeaned. 
Yealth, health. 
Yedlthy, healthy. 

Yedndurth, the forenoon, {questionable.) 
Year, hear : also a year in time ; yeard, heard. 
Yerrin, hearing; years, hears. 
Yearn, they hear. 
Yerdn, they heard. 
Yedrstom'i, hearest thou me ? yearsto, heardest thou ? 

yearstono, heardest thou not ? yearstomi, heardest 

thou me ? 
Yerwyo, hear you ? 
Year'nyono, hear you not ? 
Yearnyomi, hear you me? 
Y earth, the earth. 
Yebb, Edmund; yebhy, the same. 
Yebbors, Ebors, at Middleton. 
Yed, head. 
Yed-mon, head man. 
Yed-furst, head first. 
Yed-strung, head-strong. 
Yeddy, heady. 

Yeddy-hill, Heady Hill, near Hey wood. 
Yed-warch, headache. 
Yegger, eager. 
Yeggerly, eagerly. 









GLOSSARY. 263 

Yel, to heal ; yellin, healing ; yelt, healed ; also yel, 

an awl ; w6t-yel i an hot awl. 
Yelley, Healey, a surname. 
Yelley -hoe, Healey-hall, near Rochdale. 
Yellin, howling, screaming. 
Yells, healds of a weaver's looms; Yells-Green, at 

Chadderton. 
Yem, Edmund. 
Yep, Heap, a township. 
Yep fowd, Heap-fold. 
Yep'sintle, two handfuls. 
Yearnst, earnest; yedrnist, the same. 
Yearnstful, full of earnest. 
Yesmus, Christmas, 
Yet, heat ; yetted, heated. 
Yeth, heath, heather ; also a common, a heath. 
Yethurt, Edward. 

Yewood, Heywood, in Heap, from Heigh-wood. 
Yez, ease; yezzy, easy. 
Yezzist, easiest. 
Yezzily, easily. 

Yezins, easeings, the eaves of a house. 
Yigh, yes. 
Yd, you ; yoan, you have, or you will ; yoadn, you 

would ; yoarn, you were. 
Yoar, you are ; yohdnno, you have not ; yocdnno, you 

cannot; yodidno, you did not; yoshudno, you 

should not. 
Yomunno, you must not. 
Yoddrno, you dare not. 
Yometno, you might not. 
\ocudno, you could not. 
Yodrno, you are not. 
Yowurnno, you were not. 



264 GLOSSARY. 

Yomenno, you may not. 

Yowinno, you will not. 

Yorshur, Yorkshire. 

Yorn, yarn : ydrn-croft, a croft wherein yarn is dried. 

Yort, a fold, a yard. 

Yoy, yes. 

Yule, Christmas (nearly obs.) 

Yuletide, Christmas time. 

Yugams, Christmas games. 

Yugoads, or gauds, Christmas ornaments, playthings. 

Yure, hair ; yury, hairy. 

Yusterday, yesterday. 

Yusterneet, yesternight. 

Yunk, and yung, young. 

Yunger, younger, 

Yungster, a youngster. 



2G5 



Note. — The following Conjugations of Verbs may serve 
further to illustrate the structure, and variations of the 
Dialect. 

VERBS, 

CONJUGATED THROUGH ALL THEIR NUMBERS, PERSONS, 
MOODS, AND TENSES. 



AUXILIARY VERBS. 





TO BE. 






PRESENT TENSE. 




Sing. 


I, or aw am. Theaw art. 


He is. 


Plu. 


We ar. Yo ar. 

IMPERFECT TENSE. 


They ar. 


Sing. 


I, or aw wur. Theaw wur. 


He wur. 


Plu. 


We wurn. Yo wurn. 


They wurn 



TO HA, or HAV. 

PRESENT TENSE. 

Sing. I ha, or hav. Theaw has. He has. 

Plu. We han. Yo han. They han. 

IMPERFECT TENSE. 

Sing. I, or aw had. Theaw had. He had. 

Plu. We hadn. Yo hadn. Theyhadn. 

23 



266 
SHALL, or SHOLL. 

PRESENT TENSE. 




Sing. 


I, or aw shall. Theaw shall. 


He shall. 


Plu. 


We shan. Yo shan. 

IMPERFECT TENSE. 


They shan. 


Sing. 


I, or aw shud. Theaw shud. 


He shud. 


Plu. 


We shudn. Yo shudn. 
WILL. 

. PRESENT TENSE. 


They shudn. 


Sing. 


I, or aw will. Theaw will. 


He will. 


Plu. 


We win. Yo win. 


They win. 



IMPERFECT TENSE. 

Sing. I, or aw woud, or wud. Theaw wud. He wud. 
Plu. We wudn. Yo wudn. They wudn. 

MAY. 

PRESENT TENSE. 

Sing. I, or aw may. Theaw may. ' He may. 

Plu. We men, or mayn. Yo men. They men. 

IMPERFECT TENSE. 

Sing. I, or aw met. Theaw met. He met. 

Plu. We metn. Yo metn. They met a. 

CON. 

* PRESENT TENSE. 

Sing. I, or aw con.' Theaw con. He con. 

Plu. We con. Yo con. They con. 

IMPERFECT TENSE. 

Sing. I, or aw cud. Theaw cud. He cud. 

Plu. We cudn. Yo cudn. They cudn. 



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